Wanderlust Chronicles Book 1: An Invitation To Everywhere
by frosty600
Summary: Wanderlust – Poppy Tyler, fraternal twin to Rose Tyler, had always had it. The desire to travel an ever present itch demanding to be scratched. Then one day. The day her life changed forever. A madman with a blue box offered her the chance of a lifetime. Her biggest dream come true! Of course, an invitation to everywhere was only the beginning…
1. Chapter 1 The Tyler Twins

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just Poppy my o/c.

 **A/N:** I know there's a fair few people out there that are looking forward to seeing the next chapter in Sophie's story. However, Poppy hijacked my muse, so here I am posting a brand new fic for you guys instead. I'll be getting back to Sophie's story very soon, possibly after posting a couple or so chapters in this story and then I'm hoping to alternate between the two so that both get updated fairly regularly.

On another note, big thank you to both **Saberbladeprime** and **Maethoriel Artemis** for helping me brainstorm and reading this chapter over for me!

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **The Tyler Twins**

In a bedroom in one of the flats in the Powell Estate. Poppy Tyler, a young woman of nineteen with long dark ginger hair, a streak of white at the front, lay curled up on her side. Warm and snug under the covers as she slept peacefully. Her alarm blared and she frowned groaning as she snaked an arm out from under the warmth of her covers, smacking blindly at the blaring digital clock on her nightstand. She smacked at it a second and then a third time before she finally managed to hit the right button and the awful sound quieted.

She cracked open an eyelid, a brown eye squinting blearily at the red digital numbers on the face of her alarm clock and groaned again at seeing that it was indeed 7:30 in the morning and she had to get up and face the day.

She rolled onto her back and sat up, sweeping sleep mussed ginger locks out of her face. Her eyes falling on a large world map that she had tacked up on a corkboard that was hung on her bedroom wall. A multitude of pins with white plastic ends sticking out of it, indicating all the places that she wanted to travel too. All the places she wanted to be able to see one day. And she would! If she could ever manage to save enough money. Which meant, she grimaced, getting up and going to work.

' _Joy,'_ she mentally deadpanned as she threw the covers off her legs and got out of bed, heading swiftly for her bedroom door, pulling it open and stepped out into the corridor just as the door of the bedroom next to hers opened and her blond fraternal twin stepped out. Brown locked with brown as the two faced each other in the corridor. The stare off between the twins was broken in the next instant as the two thundered down the corridor, racing each other, to the only bathroom in the Tyler flat.

"No! Poppy!" Rose shouted as the ginger pulled ahead of her, a hand reaching to grab at the back of her twin's pyjama shirt only to miss, fingers groping at air, "Dang it!" the blond cried a second later as the door of the bathroom was closed in her face. Rose almost running into it as the lock snicked quietly into place, "Poppy," Rose whinged knocking on the door as the ginger laughed, leaning her back against the door.

"Gotta be quicker than that, Rose," Poppy called back teasingly, a small bit of a sing-song to her voice.

"I tripped," Rose cried with mock indigence.

"Sure ya did," Poppy replied with mock belief and a playful roll of her eyes.

"Oh, whatever," Rose huffed, pouting, she hated having to wait her turn for the shower, "Just don't use up all the hot water, Pop," she banged on the bathroom door with the palm of her hand again for emphasis.

"I would never, Ro-Ro," Poppy cried with mock hurt at the accusation as she straightened up and moved away from the bathroom door, with a grin.

Jackie stuck her head out of her bedroom door, her eyes landing on Rose who was facing away from her mock glowering at the bathroom door, "Must you two make so much noise this early in the morning?" she groused with a frown as Rose turned from the door to look at her a cheeky wide tongue in teeth grin lighting up her face.

"Yep," Rose replied sweetly and completely unrepentant as she continued to grin, it was the same reply she gave every morning.

"Sorry mum!" Poppy called through the closed bathroom door, just like she did every morning and Jackie rolled her eyes before disappearing back into her bedroom.

"Every damn morning," Jackie grumbled under her breath with very little heat just like she did every morning as she reached into her wardrobe to grab her dressing gown, shrugging it on and wrapping it around her.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy stood in front of her full-length bedroom mirror, dressed in a nice black long-sleeved shirt and denim jeans, bobby pins clamped between her teeth. Her brown eyes focused intently on her hair, fingers fiddling nimbly with the long locks. She pulled the last bobby pin from between her teeth a moment later and slid it into place securing the medium sized poof she'd styled into the front of her ginger hair, accenting the white streak. The length of her hair falling freely about her back and shoulders.

She lowered her hands giving herself a last quick once over, before satisfied with her appearance she turned and left her room, making her way into the kitchen, joining her mum who was frowning at the toaster as though personally offended by it.

"Poppy, love?" Jackie called still frowning at the toaster she was fiddling with as the ginger pulled a bowl out of a cupboard.

"Hmm?" Poppy hummed as she set the bowl down on the kitchen table and padded over to the fridge to grab the milk her mind half on what cereal she felt like.

"The toaster isn't working," Jackie stated trying to once again push down the lever to toast the bread slices she'd slotted into the toaster, only for it to immediately spring back up.

"Have you made sure it's on at the switch?" was Poppy's immediately response, not bothering to look as she walked over to the pantry, eyes scanning over the cereal boxes.

Jackie's gaze flicked to the power point the toaster was plugged into, "It's on," she stated as Rose stepped into the kitchen shrugging on her deep pink jacket over her nice light pink shirt.

"What've you broken now mum?" Rose asked with amusement as Jackie flicked the power point off and on again and trying once more just to be sure.

"Nothing," Jackie protested turning to look at Rose.

"The toaster," Poppy replied as she poured some cereal into her bowl and sat, reaching for the milk as Rose 'tsked' teasingly at their mum.

"It broke all on its own!" Jackie protested with a gesture at it, shooting her children irritated looks for their cheek.

Rose stepped over and tried the lever herself only for it to spring back up, jostling about the untoasted bread slices slotted inside it, "Well," Rose hummed turning from the toaster as she moved to get her own breakfast, "It was working yesterday."

"I know that!" Jackie huffed, arms crossing over her chest, frowning as she eyed her children, the pair enjoyed winding her up.

Poppy glanced over at the toaster from where she was now seated at the table, swallowing her mouthful of cereal, "I'll look at it tonight," she promised. She adored fiddling with things. Had a knack for it. Something she'd apparently inherited from her dad along with her ginger hair. Which was probably why she enjoyed it so much, she felt somehow closer to him when she fiddled about with things. Fixing them.

Jackie nodded satisfied and stepped away from the toaster flicking on the kettle instead, that's what she'd been hoping for.

Rose nudged Poppy as she sat down beside her at the table, drawing her twin's attention and she nodded at the clock as she snatched up the milk to pour over her own cereal. Poppy glanced at the clock and bit back a curse. They were gonna have to hurry their breakfast if they didn't want to be late to their shift at Henriks.

' _Where had all the time gone?'_ she bemoaned as she ate faster, beside her Rose ate just as fast neither wanting to face the start of their shift on an empty stomach.

 ***O*O*O***

The twins rushed about the flat. Poppy snatched up her denim jacket, shrugging it on and snatching up her bag in quick succession, before hurrying over to her mum who'd settled herself comfortably on the settee in the living room with a mug of tea, still in her pyjamas and dressing gown, "Bye mum!"

Whilst Rose snatched up her own bag as she hurried for the door too, "Bye!" she kissed her mum on the cheek as well, before following Poppy towards the door.

"See you both later!" Jackie called after the twins as they hurried out the front door of the flat, reaching for the cordless house phone as the door shut behind the twins. The pair running down the stairs as they headed for the street to catch the bus to Central London.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy followed Rose off the bus the blond giving her a playful shove that she returned as they walked towards the department store they were both employed at, swiftly crossing the road and disappearing inside.

They walked into the staff only area and shoved their bags inside their lockers, before turning to start back towards the sales floor, exchanging a pained grimace before splitting off to attend to their individual duties.

 ***O*O*O***

The hours dragged on, passing by with excruciating slowness and Poppy had to fight to keep from watching the clock as she shifted about her area, straightening up clothes, general tidying up of the racks and helping the customers that were milling about the store hoping to take advantage of the current ongoing sale.

It didn't help that this was the last thing that she wanted to be doing with her life. Working in retail wasn't all bad. She'd just rather be travelling the world, seeing what there was to see out there not cooped up in a 9-5 job that brought her no pleasure and little to no joy. Hell, if money grew on trees she'd be travelling already.

"Excuse me, miss?" a young woman called.

Poppy turned a polite smile plastered on her face, "Yes, how can I help?" she asked in her best customer service voice.

"I need some help getting a shirt off one of the dummies," the woman explained and Poppy blinked at her, smile faltering slightly at the thought of having to try and wrestle a shirt off one of the shop dummies, "It seems to be the last one in my size."

"Sure, I'd be happy to," Poppy replied whilst inwardly groaning, just 30minutes till lunch break, Poppy just 30 more minutes she coached herself as she followed the girl over to the dummy in question, her eyes catching sight of Rose as she walked through the ladies wear department a stack of clothes in her arms, the blond looking as bored as she felt, "This one, right?" she turned to the woman gesturing at a dummy that was dressed in a flowing royal blue shirt and skin-tight black leggings.

"That's the one," the woman nodded, giving her an apologetic look for the trouble she was putting her through.

"It'll just take a moment…" Poppy trailed as she approached the dummy, hands reaching for it, if she was super lucky this would only take a moment and she could go back to drifting around the store and looking busy.

 ***O*O*O***

"Tyler?" the manager called as he approached Poppy as she headed towards the lockers to grab her bag for lunch, "You still after extra shifts?"

"Yeah," Poppy nodded eyeing the manager hopefully as she smiled, "I am, definitely."

"Good," the manager nodded, "Can you fill in for a half day tomorrow? I've had someone call in to say they won't be able to make it."

"Sure," Poppy nodded.

"Be here first thing then," the manager told her curtly before turning and marching away as Rose came up to her twin.

"What was that about?" she asked as they turned and stepped into the locker room together.

"I got a shift tomorrow," Poppy sighed with a shrug both happy and unhappy about the extra work, she'd been looking forward to the day off, but she needed the money.

"Ah," Rose murmured knowledgably, "More money for the travel fund."

"Yep," Poppy grinned, her tongue poking out between her teeth, excited at the prospect of being able to add more to it at the end of the week.

Rose blew out a breath, both happy for her twin and saddened at the thought of her twin being able to indulge her wanderlust. A wanderlust that Poppy had had as far back as the blond could remember. And the sooner Poppy managed to save up the money, the sooner she'd leave her and she'd always had her twin nearby, always. She shook the thought of the impeding loneliness that eventuality would bring and linked her arm through Poppy's with a beaming tongue in teeth grin, "Come on. Let's go meet Mickey."

"You sure you want me along for your lunch date?" Poppy asked as she grabbed her bag out of her locker.

"Puh-lease!" Rose rolled her eyes as she grabbed her own bag, "He was your best friend long before he became my boyfriend."

"Just checkin'," Poppy replied with a laugh their arms linking again as they started from the locker room and headed for the doors. The last thing she wanted to do was intrude on her twin's blossoming romance with her bestie by crashing a date-date. Not to mention that'd feel more than a little awkward. She pulled a face.

 ***O*O*O***

Mickey frowned at Poppy as he sat on the ledge of the fountain at Trafalgar Square in between his best friend and his girlfriend. The ginger having just told him about the shift she'd accepted, "With all this work your picking up how are you gonna keep on top of your kickass Kung-Fu skills?" Mickey asked as he did a couple of punches in the air that earned snickers full of amusement from both girls.

"That was horrible," Poppy continued to snicker as she grinned, "You hit someone like that and your likely to fracture your wrist."

"Well, I wasn't really trying," Mickey defended himself and Rose shook her head amused as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"And I don't go to Kung-Fu classes. It's Taijutsu," Poppy corrected lightly, "And, I'll keep up just fine. I had a class just yesterday."

"You should know that Mickey," Rose chided teasingly pointing a finger at him, "What kind of best friend are you?"

"The best kind," Mickey retorted with a smirk.

"I wouldn't have any less," Poppy nodded with mock seriousness a teasing smirk quirking up her lips as she nudged Mickey.

"'Sides," Mickey continued nudging her back, "I knew that. Kung-Fu just sounds cooler," he stated definitively.

Poppy blinked a brow arching, "If ya say so," she waved it off with a shrug, not all that phased about what he wanted to call it.

"Still remember mum signing you up for those," Rose mused glancing at her twin with a bit of a smirk, "You were pouting so hard cos you didn't wanna go about hitting people," she chuckled and Poppy puffed out her cheeks at the memory, "But mum was adamant when she realised how serious you were about wanting to travel the world and that it wasn't just a phase, that you learn how to defend yourself first."

Poppy nodded as smiled fondly, "Yeah, joke was on me though," she laughed, grinning widely, "Cos I ended up loving my Taijutsu classes so much that I never stopped going."

"Didn't have to quit going to gymnastics with me though," Rose huffed cheeks puffing out as she mock pouted at her twin.

Poppy rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I couldn't manage both," she told her twin what she already knew.

"I know," Rose nodded, "But gymnastics was never the same after you left," in fact it had lost so much of its charm after her twin stopped going that she lost interest in the sport very quickly and quit much to her mum's disappointment.

The conversation shifted away after that, getting progressively more silly. Mickey leaving Poppy and Rose in stitches as they laughed uproariously, tears of mirth welling in their eyes, before the girls reluctantly said goodbye as their lunch hour drew to a close and they had to make their way back to Henriks. Poppy rolling her eyes good naturedly and starting a way as Rose gave Mickey a kiss goodbye, giving them a moment.

 ***O*O*O***

"This is a customer announcement," the store managers voice came over the tannoy, "The store will be closing in five minutes. Thank you."

Rose and Poppy shared a relieved grin across the sales floor before they turned away from each other looking busy as they fiddled with clothing racks straightening them up as they steadily worked their way closer and closer to the staff only area and the lockers where their bags were waiting for them, both excited that the work day was ending at long last.

The girls grabbed their bags and headed for the main doors, "Oi, newbie!" one of the security guards called and Poppy paused and turned back with an air of reluctance to see a clear plastic bag being shaken at her.

She gave the security guard a flat look, "How long does newbie status last anyway?" she huffed at him as she snatched the bag from his hand. She'd been working at Henriks for three months now at the least.

"Until someone else gets hired," the guard replied with a smirk and Poppy huffed out an annoyed breath, that was just great. Henriks wouldn't be hiring again for months!

"I could wait if ya like?" Rose offered, the blond having paused in taking her leave when her twin had.

Poppy rolled her eyes, "I'll be five minutes," she said dryly as she glanced back at her twin and smiled, "I'll probably be able to meet you at the bus stop."

Rose nodded, "Kay," and turned for the door again more than a little relieved that she could still get out of the store on time, "Say 'hi' to Wilson."

Poppy headed quickly back across the sales floor, grumbling under her breath as she jabbed at the lift call button, shifting about with impatience as she waited for the lift doors to open. They did with a 'ping' a short moment later and she stepped into the lift and jabbed at the button labelled with a 'B' for the department stores basement.

She leaned against the back wall of the lift the clear plastic bag filled with lottery money dangling from between her fingers as the doors slid closed and the lift descended down from the first floor passing the ground floor before coming to a stop at the basement level. There was the signature 'ping' before the doors slid open and Poppy stepped out of the lift moving swiftly down the dimly lit corridor.

"Wilson?" she called as she approached H.P Wilson's closed office door. Her eyes taking in the large familiar yellow 'Danger of electric shock' sign beneath the man's name, "Wilson," she knocked on the door, "I've brought the lottery money," she frowned as no sound came from behind the door which was kinda odd. He should be in his office at this time. At least in her experience in delivering the lottery money, he usually was, "Wilson? You there?" she tried knocking again hopefully, "Look, I can't stick around 'cos their closing the shop, Wilson!" she called louder, before she sighed out a frustrated breath, "Uhh, come on!" she groused to herself, a second before she heard her phone give a quiet 'ding'.

She pulled it out of where she'd stashed it in her bag, fingers moving over the buttons as she entered into the text from her twin, "Great," she huffed with irritation as she read it over, "And now I've missed the bus," she grumbled.

She moved her fingers over the buttons typing out a reply, 'Wilson's playing hide and seek. I'll catch the next one.'

She tapped the send button before she looked up from her phone with a frown as a sound echoed up from down the corridor. She started in that direction, her phone that was still in her hand giving another 'ding' as Rose replied.

'K. I'll let mum know.' Poppy read her twins response.

'Thx,' she replied hitting the send button before slipping her phone back into her bag as she continued down the dark corridor, walking past a rack of clothes that had been left up against the wall, "Hello?" she called as she approached the door to one of the basements store rooms, "Hello, Wilson?" she sighed again rubbing the bridge of her nose, "It's Poppy, ya know the most recent hire," she called, "Who'd very much like to get home," she grumbled lowly in exasperation, "Hello? Wilson?" she came to a stop outside the store room door and pressed it open peering inside at the room filled with boxes of clothes, and dressed dummies that had been taken off the sales floor for one reason or another.

Not immediately seeing him in the large dark store room she stepped inside and flicked on the light glancing about for the Chief Electrician as she started slowly across the room, "Wilson?" she called again only to get more silence. She wandered further into the room, brow furrowing again with confusion and the beginnings of disquiet, "Wilson!" she tried again pitching her voice louder hoping to be heard by the man. This really wasn't like him…

She tried another door to the side of the room, only for the door that she'd come through to suddenly slam shut behind her and she spun about eyes wide with shock, before racing back over to the doors. Trying the handles, shaking them instantly, "Oh, bleedin' hell," she groused when they refused to budge, her frown darkening only to still as a soft sound came from behind her and she slowly turned back around, eyes scanning, "Wilson," she began as she stepped away from the doors moving back into the room, "If that's you I'm…" she trailed as she turned back around to see one of the male dummies step out of the alcove it had been tucked away into, "Uhh…" she blinked at it as it slowly moved towards her and she took a slow step back, "Ok, this soo isn't funny," she told them flatly, scowling as her gaze flicked behind the first as two more dummies started to move, slowly advancing towards her along with the first.

"Right…" she muttered backing up further adjusting the strap of her bag so that it sat more comfortably across her chest, "Ok… it's gone from soo not funny," she lifted one of her arms up into a loose ready position as she continued to back away slowly as more dummies, the rest in the store room with her, joined the first three in advancing towards her menacingly, "To _really_ not funny," she continued to back away down the store room, almost tripping as her heel hit a box. Poppy didn't look as she kicked it out of her way, her brown eyes locked on the dummies as she pondered what to do.

Her back hit the wall and she stiffened before shifting the position of her feet, her arm still raised. Poised to attack or defend herself as the dummies continued their advance. The male dummy that had been the first to move raised an arm to strike and she moved. Her arm moving up, blocking the blow before following it up with a powerful kick forcing the dummy back into its fellows, creating a bit of space between them. She turned with the intention of using the space she'd created to run only to almost collide with a man with piercing blue eyes that she was almost positive hadn't been there a moment ago.

He reached for her in the next instant, grasping one of her hands firmly in his, "Run!" he urged as he pulled her into motion as the dummies started to advance again, following them through a set of blue doors and down the corridor as they raced towards a lift.

They ran into the lift, the man hitting one of the buttons and the doors started to slide closed only for the male dummy to stick its arm between them, preventing them from clicking shut. Without skipping a beat, the man that was wearing a black leather jacket grabbed the arm and tugged, yanking at it until it came free allowing the lift doors to click closed on the dummies that were clamouring to get at them with a 'ping'.

"You pulled his arm off," Poppy stated, nose crinkled as her mind raced as she stared at the pale arm that the man was holding in his hands.

"Yep!" the man nodded and tossed it too her with a grin and she caught it, clasping it between her hands, "Plastic."

"Completely," Poppy murmured, brow slightly furrowed in thought as she looked the arm she was holding over. She looked back up eyes focusing on the man, taking in his dark brown buzz cut hair and black leather jacket again, "So, what or who are they then?"

He glanced back at her, a brow quirking as he considered the ginger, "You think it could be a what?" he posed a question of his own.

"Do you always answer a question with a question?" Poppy asked as she eyed him in return, a single brow quirking back at him.

"Do you?" he asked, "Go on," he grinned at her again as she narrowed her eyes on him, "What do you think it is?"

Poppy hummed a little thoughtfully, eyeing the arm in her hands again, before looking up at him again, "How wrong would I be if I said students muckin' about being silly?"

"Completely," he replied.

"Figures," Poppy sighed glancing away from him as he continued to eye her expectantly, "What about some kind of demonic possession?" he snorted derisive and a bit amused as he continued to eye her, "That'd be a no then," Poppy murmured, "Or I dunno… artificial intelligence?"

The man arched a curious brow at her, "Why artificial intelligence?"

"Uh," Poppy shrugged at him as she admitted, "The Terminator."

"The Terminator?" he questioned, eyebrows now raised so that they were sitting high on his forehead.

"Well, yeah. You know with AI coming to life and attacking people…" she trailed at the look he was giving her, "That's another no then."

"Well," the man mused with amusement, "You're warmer I guess. Still completely wrong," he grinned as she pouted slightly, "But warmer."

"Well," Poppy murmured with a bit of a frown, "Whoever or whatever they are Wilson's gonna have a fit when he sees them."

"Whose Wilson?" the man asked.

"Chief Electrician," Poppy replied, realising as she spoke that she'd dropped the lottery money at some point. Oops.

"Wilson's dead," the man informed her as the lift stopped and the doors pinged open and he stepped out into the corridor beyond.

"Please tell me that you just made the un-funniest joke in the history of unfunny jokes," Poppy exclaimed her eyes wide as she followed him out of the lift.

"Hold on," he ignored her question as he took her by her upper arms and shifted her a bit to the side, "Mind your eyes," he warned her as he turned back to the lift a strange slender device in his hand, flashing it with a blue glow at the lift control panel and it sparked briefly in response as it's insides got fried.

"Oi!" Poppy called after him as he turned and started away. She hastened to follow, "Who are you, then? And you never said what or who that lot down there is," she questioned as she dogged his steps down the corridor, eyeing his broad back with equal parts curiosity and frustration. Her brow furrowed again at his continued silence, "I said, who or what are they?"

He glanced back at her, "They're made of plastic," he began, "Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof. Which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this," he showed her an electronic device. Poppy eyed it before glancing back up at him as he continued, "So!" he opened the fire escape door he'd been leading her towards, "I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process," Poppy turned to him, eyes wide again with alarm, "But don't worry about me," he smiled, "No, you go home, go on! Go and have your lovely beans on toast," he stated as he ushered her through the door before she could do more than stare at him mouth agape, "Don't tell anyone about this," he warned, "Because if you do, you'll get them killed," he said in all seriousness before he shut the door on her.

Poppy blinked at the closed door a bit bemused at what had just happened, before she turned to start away, only to turn back to the door as she heard it open again, the man popping back into view as he poked his head out the door again.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way," he introduced himself with a bit of a grin as she stared at him with continued bemusement, "What's your name?"

"Poppy," the ginger replied.

"Nice to meet you, Poppy," he grinned a bit wider as he continued, "Run for your life!" before he shut the door again.

Poppy blinked at the closed door again, before she turned and ran through the back alley she'd been ushered into and out onto the main street. A black cab speeding by as she glanced back at the building, keeping her distance from the dummies in the shop windows as she continued to run. She glanced back at Henrik's again and her eyes widened as an explosion blew up the top floor of the building.

Her steps faltered slightly, almost tripping over her feet, but managed to catch herself, her stride evening out as she continued to run. Her gaze glided over the strange sight of a big blue police box in an alley, but didn't think much of it as she ran along the street, heading for home. Her mind whirling over what had happened.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy sat slumped with Rose on the settee in the living room of their home. The blonde's head resting on the ginger's shoulder, and her head angled to rest against the blonde's, their arms linked together and eyes on the telly that was switched on to the BBC News 24 broadcast that was covering the explosion, "The whole of Central London has been closed off as police investigate the fire. Early reports indicate…"

Poppy's eyes wandered from the telly as Jackie walked back in phone held to her ear with one hand and a steaming hot mug in the other, "I know," the older Tyler woman was saying to the person on the other end, "It's on the telly. It's everywhere. Poppy's lucky to be alive," she exclaimed moving towards the settee, "Honestly, it's aged her," Poppy raised her brows at her mum, "Skin like an old bible. Walking in now you'd think I was her daughter."

"It has not," Poppy huffed unlinking her arm from Rose's and straightening up as her mum pressed the hot mug of tea into her hands, "And I do not," but Jackie had already turned away again listening to the person on the other end of the line. Poppy and Rose glanced at each other and rolled their eyes as they settled back comfortably against the settee. Poppy's gaze going to the plastic arm she'd accidentally brought home with her as it sat innocently on a pale sofa against a bright hot pink cushion, her eyes lingering on it, worried that it'd suddenly spring to life again. She'd have binned it on the way if she'd remembered that she was carrying the damned thing. She heard the front door all but bang open and she tore her eyes away from it as she and Rose looked up heads turning to look towards the doorway.

"Oh, and here's himself…" Jackie said as she paused in her pacing to turn, eyes landing on Mickey as he appeared in the doorway, slightly out of breath and eyes worried as his gaze shot to the twins and he started towards them.

"I've been phoning your mobile," he accused as the twins shifted on the couch creating room for him to sit between them, "And yours!" he huffed pointing from one twin to the other, worried eyes holding a bit of reproach.

Poppy glanced towards where her bag was sitting slumped against a wall a distance away, "Ah, sorry," she apologised, she hadn't heard it ringing.

"You two could've been dead!" Mickey continued.

"Not dead. I was already on my way home when it went kaboom," Poppy half-truthed a little guiltily and ignored the look her twin was levelling on her from where she was now seated on the other side of Mickey.

"And I wasn't even there," Rose placated her boyfriend.

"It's on the news and everything!" Mickey exclaimed, "I can't believe your shop went up, what if you had still been inside!"

"I'm fine, honestly," Poppy attempted to assure her best friend again as he hugged her and then Rose and then both of them as he settled between them on the couch.

"Don't make a fuss," Rose begged, it was bad enough with their mum fussing and fretting over it and what could have happened. Personally, she didn't want to think about all the possible what could have happened to her sister.

"Well, what happened?" Mickey asked as he turned his head to look at Poppy again, eyeing her curiously.

Poppy shook her head, "I dunno!" she lied again, feeling another flare of guilt for it, but the man who'd called himself the Doctor had been clear and… well, they wouldn't believe her anyway. Neither of them.

Rose eyed her twin with the same scepticism as before, but stayed quiet for the moment as her sister took a sip of her tea.

"What was it though?" Mickey persisted curiously as he continued to eye Poppy ignoring the mildly irritated look she shot him, "What caused it?"

"Didn't I just say that I wasn't in the shop?" Poppy huffed, before shifting remorsefully, it wasn't his fault that she was lying, "Sorry. I just dunno," she sighed she hated lying like this, especially to her best friend and twin, "I was outside and didn't see anything apart from the top floor going up in flames…" she trailed as her mum wandered back into the living room holding the phone out to her and she arched her brows in question.

"It's Debbie on the end," Jackie told her, "She knows a man on the Mirror. Five hundred quid for an interview."

"Oh, does she?" Poppy asked and Jackie nodded as she took the phone. She jabbed the end call button and set the phone down.

Jackie frowned at Poppy, arms crossing, exasperated, "Well, you've got to find some way of making money, you both do," she stated, "Your jobs are kaput and I'm not bailing you out," she looked at the twins pointedly, "Either of you…" she trailed as the phone rang again and she snatched it back up immediately, "Beth!" she exclaimed as she turned away from the settee, phone once again pressed to her ear, "Poppy's alive! I've told her," she started from the living room again and Poppy settled against the settee again shaking her head as she listened to her mum, "Sue for compensation. She was within seconds of death."

"What're you drinking?" Mickey asked drawing Poppy's attention as he checked the contents of her mug, "Tea? Nah, nah," he shook his head, "That's no good, that's no good. You're in shock. You need something stronger."

"I'm fine," Poppy assured him again as she kept her grip on the mug that he was trying to take from her.

"Now, come on, you both deserve a proper drink," Mickey insisted, "We're going to the pub, the three of us. My treat," he tempted, the twins blinking at him as they stared at him brows starting to quirk up, "How about it?"

"Is there a match on?" Rose asked, a knowing look in her eyes as she regarded her boyfriend with a smile.

"No," Mickey denied quickly, "I'm just thinking of my two favourite women."

Poppy scoffed, "There's totally a match on," she grinned amused as Mickey twitched, trying hard not to squirm under their gazes.

"Well, that's not the point…" Mickey trailed as the twins smiles grew in amusement, they both knew him too well, "We could catch the last five minutes," he conceded a bit sheepishly.

"Any other day, Mickey," Poppy murmured, normally she would she just… wasn't up to going to the pub and enjoying the match with her bestie. There was too much on her mind, too much to think about.

"Go on, then," Rose nodded with a smile of her own, not all that interested in catching the match and she wanted to be with her sister.

Mickey hesitated, "You sure?"

"Yeah," the twins assured him with smiles.

"I'm fine, really," Poppy assured Mickey again, "Just a bit tired really," Mickey nodded still eyeing his best friend with concern, "You could do me a favour and get rid of that," she pointed to the arm that was still lying on the sofa, "On your way."

Mickey nodded his agreement before he turned to Rose and pointed at his lips, and Rose grinned as she pulled him into a kiss, before playfully shoving him away again as Poppy rolled her eyes, before taking another sip of her tea as her twin and best friend laughed. A smile playing about her lips as Rose playfully stuck a leg out to trip Mickey as he moved to get up.

Mickey picked up the plastic arm and turned back to them, "Buh-bye," he waved it at them.

"Let me know who wins," Poppy called.

"Bye!" Rose called and rolled her eyes in amusement as Mickey pretended to strangle himself with the plastic hand, an exaggerated expression on his face.

"Must you?" Poppy huffed at him as Rose shook her head a fond amused smile curving up her lips as Mickey lowered the arm from his throat.

"Yep," Mickey grinned cheekily at his bestie tossing the arm up into the air and then catching it again, "Couldn't resist."

Poppy rolled her eyes relaxing as the arm remained lifeless in his hands, "Dweeb," she insulted as she slumped back against the settee.

"Grandma," Mickey shot back, with a grin.

"You're just jealous that my hairs prettier than yours, Micks," Poppy retorted lightly as she swept a hand over the white streak that her front poof emphasised.

"Pfft!" Mickey blew a raspberry at her, waving the plastic arm at her dismissively.

"Urgh!" Poppy grimaced snatching up the cushion beside her, "I hate it when you do that," she threw it at him.

Mickey caught it an inch before his face and tossed it back and laughed as Poppy yelped as she spilled her tea over her hand that was clutching the mug as she caught it with the other. Rose shook her head, giggling in amusement as Mickey left still laughing.

"Fire then spread throughout the store," the BBC news reporter continued and Rose fell silent as the twins listened, eyes going back to the telly, "Fifteen fire crews are in attendance though it's thought there is very little chance of saving the infrastructure…" whilst outside Mickey tossed the plastic arm into a metal bin as he strolled past it.

 ***O*O*O***

"Alright, now spill it!" Rose whispered demandingly after she'd settled herself down and gotten comfortable in Poppy's bed. Rose eyeing her twin in the darkness as they lay on their sides facing each other.

"Spill what?" Poppy whispered back evasively.

"Don't even try," Rose poked her twin with a finger, "You can't lie to _me._ So," she poked her twin again, "Spill," another poke, "What actually happened?"

"Shoulda known this was why you wanted to sleepover," Poppy huffed but she was grinning into the gloom rather glad for the excuse to spill as she poked her sister back in retaliation, "You're never gonna believe me," she taunted in a low whisper.

"Try me," Rose insisted challengingly and so in a low whisper Poppy began to explain just what had happened at Henriks and Rose's brows steadily rose higher and higher on her forehead as she listened.

Rose rolled over onto her back when her twin fell silent, "You're having me on," she scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Told ya, you wouldn't believe me," Poppy replied as she too rolled over so that she was lying on her back.

Rose stared up at the ceiling her brow furrowed in thought because despite what she'd said she couldn't shake the feeling that her twin had been telling her the truth… which quite frankly sounded insane!

 ***O*O*O***

The alarm clock on Poppy's bedside table ticked over to 7:30 and the alarm blared. A sound that was immediately followed by a dull thud like sound as the twins startled awake, bolted up right. Their heads knocking together and they groaned in pain clutching at their bruised heads. Poppy reached for the alarm with one hand, smacking the button to turn it off as she continued to clutch at her throbbing head with the other, still grimacing.

"There's no point in getting up, sweethearts," Jackie called to them from her bedroom, "You've got no job to go to."

The twins flopped back down against the bed, "What's your head made of Ro-Ro?" Poppy groaned as she glanced at her twin, "Concrete?"

"If my heads concrete, yours is a bleedin' wrecking ball, Pop," Rose shot back still rubbing at her head, "Where are you going?" Rose asked, hand lowering from her head as Poppy threw the covers off herself and got to her feet.

Poppy glanced back at Rose with a smirk, "Bathroom," she replied, challenge clear in her voice, before she started for the door.

Rose sat back up in alarm, "Oi! No!" she scrambled to get up, bruised throbbing head forgotten in an instant, "Pop!" she gave chase dashing out the bedroom door in hot pursuit, "You had the bathroom first last time!"

"And again!" Jackie sighed as she heard the sounds of her twins running down the corridor with heavy feet, shouting and shrieking at each other. The bathroom door slammed shut and she sighed throwing the covers off herself.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy sat at the kitchen table, an empty breakfast bowl shoved to the side as she fiddled with the toaster that she had in pieces. Her brow furrowed in concentration, ignoring her twin who was sitting across from her with a pouting glower levelled at her for having beaten her into the bathroom two mornings in a row.

"Have you figured out what's wrong with it yet?" Rose asked, breaking the silence as she rested her elbows on the table, fists against her cheeks.

"Yeah," Poppy nodded, "The springs busted," she muttered turning it so Rose could see and jiggled the busted spring for emphasis.

"So, no toast again this morning," Rose grumbled.

"There's cereal," Poppy pointed out.

"I feel like toast," Rose muttered, pouting at the broken toaster, she'd been hoping for a quick and easy home fix.

"You could use the grill," Poppy pointed out dryly as she turned the part of the toaster back towards her.

Rose's gaze flicked over to the grill on the oven and pulled a face, "Nah," she shook her head, "Too much effort," she decided and got up to grab herself some cereal instead as Poppy rolled her eyes, smirking.

"Oh good," Jackie beamed as she entered, a mug of tea in her hand and still in her dressing gown, "How's the toaster?"

"Needs a new spring," Poppy murmured as Rose sat back down at the table bowl of cereal in hand.

"Well, you can get that today when you go job hunting," Jackie nodded as she started towards the kitchen table.

Rose groaned at the idea of having to start the painful process of job hunting, "Were do we even start," she huffed.

"There's Finches…" Jackie suggested and Poppy immediately blanched, "You could try them. They've always got jobs."

"Oh, great," Rose murmured dully, "The butchers," she grimaced.

"Well, it might do you good," Jackie replied as she sat at the table with them, "That shop was giving you airs and graces."

Rose gave her mum a flat look filled with displeasure at the very idea of even applying to work at the butchers.

"Give me the airs and graces of retail any day," Poppy muttered dryly and Rose nodded adamantly in agreement. Poppy brightened as an idea occurred to her, "Maybe I'll try at the repair shop," she mused as she toyed with a small toaster part, "They know me in there. They might be able to give me something."

"You could ask when you pop in to get the part for the toaster," Jackie nodded before she levelled another look at Poppy, "And I'm not joking about compensation. You've had genuine shock and trauma!" Poppy sighed out a low breath still turning the toaster piece between her hands whilst Rose stirred her spoon idly about her cereal that was starting to get soggy as Jackie continued persistently as she stood starting out of the kitchen, "Arianna got two thousand quid off the council just because the old man behind the desk said she looked Greek!"

Poppy blinked at her mum, brows quirking up at her as she looked up from the toaster part, "She is Greek," she stated.

"I know she's Greek," Jackie retorted turning back to point an exasperated finger at her ginger haired daughter, "You're deliberately missing the point," she accused and got another blink whilst Poppy's lips twitched suspiciously as Jackie turned starting for the doorway again, "It was a valid claim," she called over her shoulder as she made her way back through the living area and into the corridor as she headed back towards her room.

Poppy shook her head, putting the toaster piece back down, before glancing across the table at her twin, "So…" she started innocently trying to suppress her amused smile, "You gonna apply at the butchers?"

Rose's eyes narrowed at the amusement she could see on her sister's face as her lips tried to twitch upwards, "No…" she replied as she flicked some of her soggy cereal at her twin.

"Oi!" Poppy cried as the soggy bit of cereal splattered against the table missing her, "Watch the toaster!"

Rose snorted, "Yeah, like a tiny bit of cereals gonna hurt it," she scoffed, before they paused, heads turning in the direction of the front door as they heard a rattling sound. Rose stood, "I thought you nailed the cat flap down?"

"I did," Poppy replied as she got up too, following her twin towards the front door with a small frown, "Weeks ago."

"You sure you didn't just dream about it?" Rose questioned a little tauntingly.

Poppy narrowed her eyes on her twin, "I'm sure."

"Just checkin'," Rose replied with a cheeky tongue in teeth grin and saccharine sweetness. Poppy swatted a hand at the back of her twin's blond head and Rose kicked a leg back in retaliation, heel connecting lightly with her twin's lower leg as they made their way through the living room and into the entryway.

They paused as they caught sight of the screws fallen to the floor, "Guess you botched it," Rose murmured.

"I didn't botch it," Poppy huffed.

"Then what are the screws doin' on the floor?" Rose retorted glancing at her twin with raised brows whilst Poppy stilled as her eyes that had still been on the puzzling sight of the screws she'd secured the cat flap with scattered on the floor, lifted to the cat flap as it suddenly moved and she stepped closer ducking down, "What're ya doing?" Rose asked quizzically as she watched her sister with bemusement.

Poppy ignored the question in favour of carefully poking the cat flap open only to see the Doctor's face on the other side of it, staring right back at her. She inhaled sharply in surprise and leapt back up to her feet yanking the door open. Rose stepped up behind her in the doorway, eyes curious as they landed on a man with blue eyes, ears that protruded from the sides of his head, a big nose and a buzz cut, wearing a black leather jacket over a dark purple t-shirt.

"What're you doing here?" the Doctor asked perplexed as he eyed the ginger with obvious confusion.

Poppy arched her brows at him, "I live here," she stated like it should be obvious.

"Well," the Doctor huffed at her, before asking almost incredulously, "What do you do that for?"

"I just do," Poppy retorted, "And I'm only here because _someone_ ," she eyed him pointedly, "Blew up my job."

"Wait…" Rose cut in eyeing the man in their doorway with suspicion now, "He's the guy you were talking about last night, with the whole 'living dummies' thing?" she used her fingers to put air quotes around the words, still rather sceptical about the whole story her sister had told her to explain what had happened at Henriks.

The Doctor glanced from the blond back to the ginger with a frown, "I thought I said, 'Don't tell anyone'," he huffed at her nodding as he pretended to think about it, "I did, I said 'don't tell anyone because you'd get them killed.' That's exactly what I said."

"Rose is the exception," Poppy stated arms crossing over her chest.

"Oh, and just what makes her so special?" the Doctor questioned as he swept his gaze over the blond standing beside the ginger again. Taking in all the similarities and all the differences in their features.

Rose smirked at him, a bit proudly as she crossed her arms over her chest, unintentionally mirroring her sister, "I'm her twin," she nodded at Poppy.

"Right," the Doctor muttered as he flicked his gaze from one to the other and back again, before he shook his head and pulled out his sonic screwdriver turning his attention back to what had brought him to this particular front door to begin with. He gave it a shake, "I must've got the wrong signal," he muttered before glancing back up at the ginger, "You're not plastic, are you?"

"No," Poppy replied a bit bemused and incredulous and he reached out and rapped his knuckles against her forehead.

"No, bonehead" the Doctor agreed with a grin as she raised her brows at him, "Bye, then," he turned to leave.

"Oh no you don't!" Rose hissed, eyes narrowed on the man as she grabbed him before he could even take a step away from their doorway, "You don't almost get my twin killed last night and get to swan off."

"I didn't…" the Doctor spluttered, a touch indignantly as he looked over his shoulder at the blond that had a hold of him.

"Inside," Rose insisted, "Right now," not really giving him a choice as she dragged him inside of the flat. Poppy shook her head amused as she pushed the door shut, before turning and following them out of the entryway.

"Who is it?" Jackie called from her bedroom where she was seated on the end of her bed in the process of applying her make-up.

"It's about last night," Rose replied, popping her head into her mum's room finally releasing the Doctor, certain that he wouldn't be making a break for it now as she heard Poppy shifting about behind them, "He's part of the inquiry," she fudged the truth as Jackie shifted on her perch to look at her and the man in her bedroom doorway, "Wants to talk to me and Poppy," she continued, "Give us ten minutes," the younger blond said before continuing on down the corridor, leaving the Doctor standing in the older Tyler woman's bedroom doorway.

"She deserves compensation," Jackie stated.

"Huh, we're talking millions," the Doctor agreed easily as he leaned against the doorframe as he waited.

Jackie eyed him up and down for a brief moment before she stood up, flirtatiously, "I'm in my dressing gown."

"Yes, you are," the Doctor agreed.

"There's a strange man in my bedroom," Jackie murmured.

"Yes, there is," he agreed again.

"Well, anything could happen," she flirted.

"Oi!" Poppy poked her head into her mother's bedroom doorway having just come back out of her room, "Behave," she scolded, pointing a finger at her mum.

"I'll behave when I'm dead," Jackie retorted.

Poppy pulled a face, "Can that be one of the things that we never ever talk about cos your…"

It was Jackie's turn to point a scolding finger at her daughter, eyes narrowed as she cut in, "Don't you dare say I'm old!"

"Would I do that?" Poppy questioned with an innocent air.

"Yes," Jackie retorted, arms crossing.

"Must be some truth to it then," Poppy replied, smirking teasingly at her mum as she pulled a face at her daughter.

"You're not too old to get put over my knee young lady!" Jackie huffed.

"Pretty sure that stopped being scary when I realised I could out run ya," Poppy smirked and Jackie mock glowered at her as she turned to the Doctor who was grinning at them with obvious amusement, "Coffee?"

"Might as well, thanks," the Doctor nodded as he followed her down the corridor and into the living room, glancing curiously into the room he'd seen her come out of earlier as they passed it, "Just milk."

"Sure," Poppy nodded, before tacking on as she noticed the state of the living room, "Just don't mind the mess."

The Doctor followed her as she walked into the kitchen, lingering in the doorway as he took in the room eyes landing on the pulled apart toaster that was still sitting on the table, "You scavenging for parts?"

Poppy glanced over her shoulder at him, before following his line of sight to the toaster, "Nah, it's just broken," she replied as she puttered over to the sink, turning on the cold water tap to fill the kettle up.

Behind her the Doctor shifted away from the doorway, slipping his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket as he cast a critical eye over the toaster, he aimed the slender device and the blue tip lit up as it buzzed.

Poppy turned the tap back off ears picking up a strange whirring noise that she'd only heard once before, hearing it for only a moment before it stopped. She glanced back over her shoulder to see him tucking something back into his inside jacket pocket, "What did you do?"

"Nothin," the Doctor replied evasively, smirking slightly as he turned and wandered out of the kitchen and into the living room Poppy peering after him suspiciously.

She put the kettle onto boil before she glanced at the disassembled toaster. She stepped over to it and tested the broken spring, only to blink in mild surprise. He'd fixed it, that strange buzzy thing had fixed it.

Poppy shook her head and turned away, shifting about the kitchen to get coffee mugs prepped whilst the kettle boiled.

"Enjoying your snooping?" Poppy questioned, a brow arching, as she stepped back out of the kitchen a couple of moments later. A steaming coffee mug in each hand to see the Doctor, still alone in the living room, with a couple of envelopes in his hands as he looked them over, reading the names of the addressees.

"Yes, I am," the Doctor replied with a grin, completely un-phased about being caught as he dropped the envelopes back down where he'd found them.

Poppy rolled her eyes as she crossed the distance, holding out his coffee to him, his gaze going up to what she believed to be her hairline as he did so, "It's poliosis," she murmured anticipating what he was looking at.

"What?" he blinked at her as she stepped away from him again.

"The white streak," Poppy elaborated with a gesture up at her hairline where her white streak of hair was framing her face, not having done more than run a brush through her hair yet that morning, before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Ah," the Doctor hummed evasively as he nodded turning away, although a slightly curious genetic quirk, it had actually been the rather fantastic shade of ginger the rest of her hair was that he'd been admiring in that moment. Lucky woman, he mused as he caught sight of his current face in a mirror, eyes going to the dark brown he'd ended up with this time, "Ah, could've been worse," he mused as he eyed his reflection properly for the first time, "Look at me ears," he grinned a bit as he flicked one of the prominent appendages.

"You say that like you've never seen your face before," Poppy mused as she tilted her head at him slightly, eyeing him a little sceptically.

"I saw a map," the Doctor turned from his reflection to look at her as he side-stepped her observation, "On the wall in one of the rooms down there," he nodded towards the corridor Rose had yet to emerge from as Poppy blinked at him brow quirking.

"It's my map," Poppy nodded.

"Awful lot of pins sticking out of it," the Doctor pressed, taking a sip of coffee, eyeing her over the rim.

"All the places I wanna visit," Poppy explained.

"There was close to two hundred pins," the Doctor blinked eyebrows shooting upwards, there was 198 to be exact.

Poppy nodded, eyeing him, "And I'll probably add more, there's just so much out there that I wanna see," she grinned and then shrugged lightly at the curious almost contemplative look he was giving her, "Mum says I have a wanderlust."

"Ah," the Doctor murmured, smiling, "I know something about that."

Poppy smiled back, "You too, huh?"

"You could say that," the Doctor shrugged before admitting, "I have a hard time staying in one place."

"I haven't managed to get farther than where a train could take me in a day yet," Poppy sighed a bit wistfully, "But I'm saving up…" her enthusiastic expression fell, "Course I've gotta find a new job for that."

"If you're that determined I'm sure you'll find something," the Doctor murmured, glancing away from her as he scratched at his ear, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Course I will," Poppy nodded before grimacing, "Job hunting's a bit of a pain though."

"I wouldn't know," the Doctor replied casually, before taking another sip of coffee, pretending to not notice as Poppy blinked at him rather surprised.

"Is there coffee for me?" Rose asked as she finally emerged out of the corridor, walking into the living room.

"Kitchen," Poppy replied, gesturing over her shoulder.

"Have I told you that I love you?" Rose mused with a beaming grin.

"Not lately," Poppy replied.

"Well, I love ya," Rose declared as she turned sauntering towards the kitchen.

"Right back at ya," Poppy responded as Rose disappeared through the kitchen doorway.

"You two should probably go to the police, don't you think?" Rose commented as she moved into the kitchen, even if it was just some joke that just went wrong."

"You're such a sceptic," Poppy called to her as the Doctor milled about the living room again, starting to snoop again.

"I am not," Rose huffed in retort, "But kids mucking about seems far more likely than actual dummies moving about on their own attacking people."

"It does," the Doctor agreed as he picked up a paperback book that had been left on the coffee table.

"See!" Rose said in a 'so there' tone.

"You're also wrong," the Doctor finished and there was a beat of silence and Poppy could just picture her twin huffing and rolling her eyes as she shook her head in disbelief, "Hmm," he mused into the silence as he flicked through the pages crazy fast, "Sad ending," he muttered as he put it back down.

Poppy blinked at him again a little bemused, "Read it before have you?" she asked before she sipped some more of her coffee.

"Something like that," the Doctor replied airily and Poppy quirked her brows at the evasive non-answer.

"Still," Rose's voice came from the kitchen again as she grabbed her coffee mug, "They said they'd found a body on the news," she took a sip and grimaced at how cool it had gotten and padded over to the microwave.

"Wilson's," Poppy reminded Rose, her voice low with regret for the man, as she followed the Doctor's progress around her families living room with her eyes watching as he set down his coffee mug as he found a deck of cards, the sound of Rose fiddling with the microwave reaching them from the kitchen.

"All the same," Rose continued, "He was a nice," she murmured over the noise of the whirring microwave, "A nice bloke."

The Doctor swiftly shuffled the cards and Poppy thought that he looked like he knew what he was doing as he declared, "Luck be a lady."

"Seriously though," Rose continued as she tapped her foot waiting for the microwave to finish, whilst in the living room the Doctor started to shuffle the cards he was still playing with again, "I want you to explain everything."

Then again, maybe he didn't, Poppy mused as the cards went flying everywhere in the next moment, "Uh, maybe not," the Doctor murmured a bit sheepishly glancing over at Poppy who smirked at him with amusement. He smiled back, dropping the cards he'd managed to hang on to, before a scuffling came from behind the sofa, "What's that, then?" he asked eyeing the couch curiously, "You got a cat?"

"No…" Rose called as she took another test sip of her coffee and beamed a grin, perfect… hmm, did they perhaps have some biscuits? She shifted towards the pantry.

"Not anymore," Poppy replied as she shifted turning to the sofa moving to take a step towards it, brows slightly furrowed, "Hence the screws…" she paused though as the Doctor gestured for her to stay where she was as he stepped towards it himself leaning over it to peer behind it and in the next moment Poppy dropped her coffee mug to the floor in shock as the plastic arm that she'd had Mickey throw out last night leapt out from behind the sofa, it's hand securing itself around the Doctor's throat, strangling him as he tried to pull it off.

Poppy leapt forward, hands closing about the plastic arm and tugged, the two of them struggling to pull the arm off him, limbs knocking against each other as they did so. Whilst down the corridor in her bedroom Jackie switched on her hairdryer.

"We did have," Rose continued as she started from the kitchen giving up on finding biscuits to snack on, "But now they're just strays. They come off the estate," she blinked, pausing briefly at seeing her sister and the Doctor wrestling with the plastic arm that was seemingly strangling him, "What are you doing?" she rolled her eyes setting her mug down on the coffee table, "Him, I kinda get, give a man a plastic hand and all that… but you Pop…"

"We're not playing, Ro-Ro!" Poppy shouted exasperated still struggling with the arm, that came away in the next instant, the arm flying through the air.

Rose gaped at it as it screeched to a halt in mid-air, before spinning about fingers flexing, before launching through the air towards her. She screamed as it attached itself to her face, plastic fingers digging into her skin as it smothered her airways.

"Rose!" Poppy exclaimed as she darted over to her, the Doctor with her as they grasped the plastic arm again and started tugging all over again. The three of them stumbling about the living room as they fought to get the plastic arm off her.

The three fell, crashing rather painfully into the coffee table. The table crumpling under their combined weight and they hit the floor in a tangle of limbs, continuing to struggle with the arm whilst down in her bedroom Jackie continued to blow dry her hair oblivious to what was happening in her living room.

The Doctor managed to push Rose up onto the sofa, digging for his sonic screwdriver in his inside jacket pocket, whilst Poppy continued yanking with growing desperation on the arm, seriously beginning to fear that her twin would be suffocated by the plastic arm.

The Doctor grasped the sonic and pulled it swiftly out of his pocket and aimed it at the arm disabling it with a quick buzz making it release Rose, "It's alright, I've stopped it," the Doctor assured them, "There you go, you see?" he tossed it to the panting, rather frazzled Rose.

"Handy that small buzzy thing," Poppy murmured as she eyed the plastic arm now in her twin's hands, it's fingers slack and lifeless.

"Hmm, yep!" the Doctor grinned at her as he pocketed his sonic once again, "Made it armless," he punned.

"Do you think?" Rose snarked, her eyes narrowed on him as she smacked him over the shoulder with the arm that had tried to kill her not two seconds ago.

"Ow!" the Doctor whinged as Poppy snorted out an amused breath as the Doctor cringed a bit as Rose waved the arm a bit threateningly.

"I thought I was the violent twin," Poppy laughed.

Rose smirked at her, "Give a woman a plastic hand…" she trailed meaningfully as she gave the arm another mock threatening wave, earning another amused sniggering from Poppy, eyes shining with mirth.

The Doctor straightened up, that was his queue to leave if ever he heard one. He snatched the arm back from the blond and starting away without another word, "Oi!" the twins cried scrambling to their feet to chase after him, leaving the living room in a right state as they swiftly followed him out of the flat.

"Hold on a minute!" Rose demanded as they chased the Doctor down the stairs, dogging his steps adamantly, "You can't just go swanning off!"

"Yes, I can. Here I am. This is me, swanning off," the Doctor smirked back at them as he continued rather cheerily, "See ya!"

"But," Poppy protested, frowning at him as they rounded a curve in the staircase, "You haven't even answered any of our questions yet!"

"That arm was moving," Rose exclaimed, "It tried to kill me!"

"Ten out of ten for observation," the Doctor remarked dryly, not pausing in his stride.

"But you blew up the relay device on the roof!" Poppy exclaimed as they approached the bottom of the staircase at a quick clip.

"I did," the Doctor replied, glancing back again briefly as he nodded, but not bothering to elaborate further.

"So, why is it still coming after us?" Poppy huffed, irritation starting to leak into her tone as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"You can't just walk away, that's not fair!" Rose glowered at him as she and Poppy followed him through the doors and out onto the street, "You've got to tell us what's going on!"

"No, I don't," the Doctor denied.

"No," Poppy agreed and grinned at him all charm, "But it'd be really nice if ya did."

The Doctor glanced at her and smirked, before waving the plastic arm at her as if to say, 'nice try but no dice'.

"Alright then," Rose shrugged as she and Poppy came to a stop and the Doctor paused glancing back a bit surprised at the sudden about face in her attitude, "We'll go to the police. We'll tell everyone. You told Poppy, that if she did that, people would get killed. So," Rose effected another shrug attempting a casual stance as she did her best to stare the man down, "Your choice. Tell us, or we'll start talking."

The Doctor quirked his brows at her, "Is that supposed to sound tough?" he questioned, smirking, a little incredulous and a little amused.

"Sort of," Rose replied with another small shrug.

"Doesn't work," the Doctor informed her.

Rose shrugged again this time smirking right back at him, "Meh, when all else fails I've got her," she jerked a thumb at her twin.

The Doctor blinked and glanced at Poppy who wiggled her fingers at him in response, he blinked again, "Scary," he deadpanned.

"That's me," Poppy agreed lightly, and the Doctor scoffed as she added dryly, glancing at her twin, "I terrify."

Rose sniggered, before sobering as she eyed the man standing across from them, "Who are you?"

"Didn't she tell you?" the Doctor mused gesturing at Poppy, before stating, "I'm the Doctor."

"Yeah, she mentioned that bit," Rose huffed, "But Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor," he stated firmly.

"The Doctor," Rose repeated, eyeing him a bit dubiously.

"Hello!" the Doctor grinned waving the plastic arm at them as if to say that's me.

Poppy eyed him, blinking a bit quizzically, lips quirking upwards a bit as she stared, before she deadpanned, working to keep her face straight, "Impressive."

"That's me," the Doctor nodded before he grinned widely at her as he stated seriously, "All the time."

Poppy huffed out an amused breath as she grinned.

"Come on," Rose insisted, "You can tell us. We've seen enough," she eyed him over, "Are you police?"

"No, I was just passing through," the Doctor replied, before swallowing a little heavily, "I'm a long way from home."

"But," Rose frowned, "What have we done wrong?" she asked, "How come those plastic things came after my sister and then me?" she could still feel the lingering sensation of those plastic fingers digging into her skin.

"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed, "Suddenly the entire world revolves around the two of you!" he huffed as he eyed them.

"You mean it doesn't?" Poppy asked with mock affront, widening her eyes at him in mock surprise before she turned to her sister, "Rose, why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Don't look at me," Rose shrugged, smirking at her with amusement, "I was working under the same assumption."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, exasperated and amused at the pair of them, "You were just an accident," he informed them his eyes focusing on Poppy as he stated seriously, "You got in the way that's all."

"It tried to kill me!" Rose exclaimed, "And last night," she swallowed recalling what Poppy had told her of what happened at Henriks before it went up in a fiery explosion that gutted the entire building, "It tried to kill my sister!"

"It was after me, not either of you," the Doctor stated, eyeing the twins troubled expressions as they stared at him, "Last night," he continued, "In the shop. I was there, you," he jabbed a finger at Poppy, "Blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing," he huffed.

"Like I knew there was gonna be killer dummies down there," Poppy huffed, she'd just needed to deliver the lottery money!

"Then this morning," the Doctor carried on with what little of an explanation he was willing to give them for their persistence, "I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you is 'cos you've met me."

"So, why'd it attack me, then?" Rose asked frowning at the plastic arm in the Doctor's grip, "I wasn't there last night."

"You were there with me in the flat," the Doctor shrugged.

"Brilliant," Rose groused, before eyeing him, "So, really," she continued, "What you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you."

"Sort of," the Doctor nodded, grinning at them, "Yeah."

"Oh," Poppy scoffed her brows raised high on her forehead as she smirked at him a bit amused all over again, "You're full of it."

"Sort of," the Doctor nodded again, lips curved into another wide grin, "Yeah," and the twins rolled their eyes, amused.

"Alright," Poppy gave a small nod, "Now that we've established that you've got an ego the size of Mount Elephant…"

"Oi…!" the Doctor protested mock scowling at her, blue eyes shining with amusement as he stared at her.

"…What about this demonic plastic stuff," Poppy continued and the Doctor let out a low scoffing sound, "Who else knows about it?"

"It's not demonic," the Doctor stressed and then gave her a mildly exasperated look as she gave him a cheeky tongue in teeth grin, "And, no one."

"What, you're on your own?" Rose questioned as she and Poppy frowned disquietedly, glancing at each other, neither could really imagine being completely on their own with something, they'd always had each other. Always.

"Well, who else is there?" the Doctor asked, giving them a look, "I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly!" Poppy frowned a little insulted, "While all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on."

"Ok," Rose stepped towards him and snatched the arm back from him, falling into step with her twin as the Doctor started moving again, "Start from the beginning. I mean if you're gonna go with this living plastic, and I don't even believe that…"

"Did you see the flying plastic arm with the grabby fingers?" Poppy cut in with mild sarcasm, nudging her twin when she waved a dismissive hand at her.

"But if we do," Rose continued, Poppy ducking at Rose swiped the plastic arm at her head in retaliation for her nudge, "How did you kill it?"

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm," the Doctor explained glancing at the twins, "I cut off the signal, dead."

"So, that's radio control?" Rose guessed.

"Thought control," the Doctor corrected.

"Demonic possession woulda been cooler," Poppy mused as she took the plastic arm from her twin looking it over again as the three of them continued to walk.

"You're kind of strange, you know that?" the Doctor murmured brows quirked as he glanced over at her, amused.

Poppy nodded, eyes still on the plastic arm, "I've been told."

There was silence and the Doctor looked at both of the twins with a bit of concern, "Are you two alright?"

"Yep," Poppy looked up from the plastic arm and shot him a bit of a grin.

"Yeah," Rose nodded, "So," she took the plastic arm back from Poppy as she asked, "Who's controlling it then?"

"Long story," the Doctor waved off.

"Ooh, those tend to be the best kind," Poppy mused, eyeing him with a smile, and the Doctor shot her a small smirk.

"But what's it all for?" Rose questioned, "I mean, shop window dummies… what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?" and the three glanced at each other and laughed.

"No," the Doctor denied with a shake of his head.

"I know," Rose agreed.

"It's not a price war," the Doctor laughed again.

"Good," Poppy nodded.

The Doctor's expression turned serious as he sobered, "They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you," he admitted.

"And, not so good," Poppy muttered, her expression falling.

The Doctor glanced at the two of them, trying to judge what they were thinking, "Do you believe me?"

"No," Rose replied with an unapologetic shrug.

"Hard to argue when the plastic is actually trying to kill you," Poppy shrugged and Rose rolled her eyes at her whilst the Doctor smiled, nodding.

"Really, though, Doctor," Rose stopped, "Tell us, who are you?" she asked as her twin came to a stop too.

The Doctor paused in his stride, turning to look at the pair of them as they stared right back, taking in their curious expressions, "Do you know like we were saying? About the Earth revolving?" he got a couple of nods and he stepped back towards them, "It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it," he explained as he took Poppy's hand and the pair watched curiously as he traced his fingers around on her palm in a circle as he continued, "The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour. And the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, the three of us, right now. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go..." he released Poppy's hand, "That's who I am. Now, forget me, Poppy and Rose Tyler," he told them seriously before he grabbed the arm back from Rose and waved it at them, giving them a last smile, "Go home," he told them firmly.

The twins stared after him, watching as he walked towards a big blue box. Poppy blinked at it, almost positive that there wasn't usually a big blue box right there and… hadn't there been one tucked into an alley just outside Henriks last night too… Rose nudged her and she glanced at her twin distracting her from her line of thought and they slowly turned away to head back towards the Powell Estate.

It was probably nothing anyway, Poppy had only just decided when a strange wheezing sound coming from somewhere behind them made them pause. They whirled back around and ran back to where they'd last seen the Doctor to see that both he and the Police Box that he'd been wandering towards had disappeared like they'd never been there at all.

"So…" Poppy murmured, breaking their stunned silence after a short moment, "You going home?"

"Pffht!" Rose scoffed.

"My thoughts exactly," Poppy nodded and the twins glanced at each other, eyes meeting, exchanging a tongue in teeth grin, before they whirled back around and hurried back down the path towards the Powell Estate.

They had a man with a computer to see.

 ***O*O*O***

"Hey, hey, here's my woman," Mickey grinned as he opened the door to see Rose behind it, shifting back to let her in, about to slap her bum as she walked past him only to catch sight of Poppy and pause, refraining, "And, Grandma," he grinned as Poppy lightly swatted his arm, "Guess we'll be keeping our clothes on, Rose."

"Shut up," Rose huffed at him.

Poppy pulled a face at him, "Really don't wanna hear about that, ya Dweeb," she grimaced as she stepped further into Mickey's flat as Rose gave him a kiss.

"Coffee?" Mickey offered.

"Sure," Poppy agreed.

Rose nodded, "But only if you wash the mug," she added, "And I don't mean rinse," she warned, "I mean wash."

"As in with dish washing liquid and hot water," Poppy elaborated with a teasing smirk.

"I know how to wash dishes, thanks," Mickey retorted, mocking glowering at her.

The twin's eyes flicked over to the sink in the kitchen, stacked with dirty dishes, "Coulda fooled me," Poppy deadpanned.

"Shut up," Mickey huffed, waving a dismissive hand at her, and smirked as Poppy rolled her eyes at him.

"Can we use your computer?" Rose asked as Mickey turned to head into the kitchen.

"Yeah," Mickey glanced back at them as they started towards his bedroom, "Just don't read my emails!"

"That only makes us actually wanna read 'em, ya know!" Poppy called back as Rose shut the bedroom door behind them.

Poppy sat down in front of the computer Rose leaning against the back of the chair behind her, knee bouncing against the back of it and teeth abusing her lower lip as she watched Poppy bring up .

"That's far too many," Rose muttered as Poppy's first search gave them and overwhelming 17,700,000 results.

"Relax would ya," Poppy muttered, rolling her eyes, feeling Rose's knee bouncing against the back of the chair, "We just need to narrow the search down, is all."

"I know that," Rose huffed, just impatient and curious as Poppy's fingers moved over the keys again adjusting the search criteria.

There were 55,300 results for 'Doctor Living Plastic' and Poppy frowned before trying again this time with 'Doctor Blue Box' and got only 493 results.

"Oh, that's better," Rose murmured.

"Yeah, and this top one looks promising," Poppy murmured before she clicked on the link labelled 'Doctor Who – Do you know this man? Contact Clive here…'

It took them to a webpage with a blurry picture of a man that despite the blur was definitely recognisable as the man they'd met.

"Oh, we're good," Poppy murmured and the two exchanged wide grins as they exchanged a high-five.

"Too good," Rose agreed before Poppy moved the mouse hovering it over the link that read 'Contact Clive' before clicking on it.

 ***O*O*O***

"You're not coming in!" Rose insisted as Mickey pulled up across the street from the address Clive had given them, "He's safe. He's got a wife and kids."

"Yeah but who told you that?" Mickey huffed, eyeing the house, the whole street, distrustfully, "He did. That's exactly what an internet lunatic murderer would say."

"Well," Poppy began teasingly from the backseat as Rose opened the front door of Mickey's old yellow VW Beetle, "If he is an internet lunatic murderer, we're gonna need someone to drive the getaway car when we come running out of there screaming."

"Really not helping me to feel better Poppy," Mickey deadpanned, as he turned his head to give her an unimpressed look, whilst Rose folded the seat forward for Poppy to be able to clamber out of the car after her.

"We'll be careful," Poppy said more seriously and smiled at her best friend who nodded, watching with continued concern as she clambered out of the car, shutting the car door behind her, before she and Rose started across the residential street, before his gaze was drawn by a man that was wheeling out his black wheelie bin, and Mickey glowered at the man with suspicion. Much to the man's bewilderment.

Across the street Poppy and Rose stepped up to Clive's front door, the blond rapping her knuckles against it. Barely a moment later the door was pulled open by a boy that Poppy didn't think was any older than 11.

"Uh, hello," Rose smiled at the boy who was staring up at them a bit flatly, "We've come to see Clive? We've been emailing."

The boy rolled his eyes, before moving away from the doorway, "Dad!" he shouted, "It's a couple of your nutters!"

The boy disappeared back into the house and a man that had been drawn by his son's shout ambled towards the open front door, "Sorry," he gave them a friendly smile, "Hello. You must be Poppy and Rose," the twins nodded returning his friendly smile, "I'm Clive, obviously!"

"Uh, we'd better tell you now. My sister has mad martial arts skills and my boyfriend's waiting in the car, just in case you're going to kill us!"

"No, good point, no murders," he agreed good naturedly and sent a wave at Mickey who was peering through his car windshield at him suspiciously but none the less nodded in acknowledgement, "And, hopefully no mad martial arts skills," Clive added jovially as his gaze returned to the girls on his front porch.

"I'll keep myself in check," Poppy promised.

"Who is it?" A woman, Clive's wife called from the floor above them.

"Oh, it's just something to do with the Doctor. These young women have been reading the website," Clive called back before turning back to the two still standing on his front porch, "Please, come through," he ushered them ahead of him down a narrow corridor by the staircase, following them down it, "I'm in the shed."

"Young women?" Clive's wife questioned as she started down the stairs carrying a full washing basket, "They're girls?" she questioned with amusement and smiled ironically, before shaking her head as she closed the front door that Clive had left open.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy and Rose followed Clive as he showed them around his shed, "A lot of this stuff is quite sensitive," he told them as he led them over to his set up, "I couldn't just send it to you," he explained, "People might intercept it, if you know what I mean," he stated conspiratorially and Poppy's brows quirked up, "If you dig deep enough – keep a lively mind – this Doctor keeps cropping up all over the place. Political diaries, conspiracy theories. Even ghost stories. No first name no last name. Just the Doctor. Always the Doctor. And the title seems to have been passed down from father to son, it appears to be an inheritance," he told them one of his hypothesises, rather glad to have such a rapt interested audience. It wasn't all that often he got people that were truly interested in his work. He pointed at a picture of the Doctor on the screen of his computer that was set up behind them, "That's your Doctor there, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Rose nodded.

"That's him," Poppy agreed.

"I tracked it down to the Washington public archive last year," Clive told them, "The online photo's enhanced, but if we look at the original…" he opened up the slender folder he'd picked up and pulled out photos, first showing them one of the Doctor standing in a large crowd, one face among many, "November the 22nd, 1963. The assassination of President Kennedy."

"If that's him there in 1963…" Poppy frowned at the picture of the Doctor whose face had been circled with red marker, "Then he hasn't aged a day," she muttered with confusion.

"It must be his father…" Rose murmured.

"Going further back… April 1912," Clive continued as he moved away picking up a photo album and bringing it over to them, "This is a photo of the Daniels family of Southampton, and friend," he pointed to the man who looked exactly like the Doctor they'd seen earlier that day, "This was taken the day before they were due to sail off for the New World. On the Titanic. And for some unknown reason, they cancelled the trip and survived. And…" Clive pulled out a sketch with careful hands, showing it to them, "1883. Another Doctor. And look – the same lineage. He's identical."

Poppy and Rose exchanged a disquieted look, it was. It really was… but that was impossible… their eyes returned to the sketch as Clive continued.

"This one washed up on the coast of Sumatra on the very day Krakatoa exploded. The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history. When disaster comes, he's there. He has a storm in his wake. And he has one constant companion."

"Who's that?" the twin's questioned, their brows slightly furrowed.

"Death," Clive replied ominously and the twin's exchanged another disquieted look at that. Whilst outside on the street where Mickey was still waiting in his car, peering about with suspicion. The black wheelie bin that had been brought out to the curb earlier started to shuffle its way towards him.

"If the Doctor's back…" Clive continued seriously, "If you've seen him, Poppy, Rose… then one thing's for certain. We're all in danger. If he's singled you out… if the Doctor's making house calls then… God help you."

"But who is he?" Rose asked a bit unsure now that she really wanted to know, "Who do you think he is?"

"I think he's the same man. I think he's immortal," Clive admitted seriously, "I think he's an alien from another world."

 ***O*O*O***

"Alright," Rose exclaimed as she pulled open the passenger side door of Mickey's car, "He's a nutter! Off his head! Complete online conspiracy freak!"

"A very nice none lunatic murderer online conspiracy freak," Poppy nodded as she clambered into the back seat allowing Rose to push the front seat back up.

"You win!" Rose huffed as she threw herself into the front seat beside Mickey, blowing out an exasperated breath as she slammed the car door shut annoyed that they'd wasted their time, "What are we going to do tonight?" she asked glancing from Mickey to Poppy, smiling brightly at them, "I fancy a pizza."

"Ooh, me too!" Poppy cheered grinning back at her twin.

"Pizzzaaa!" Mickey elongated the word strangely as he gripped the steering wheel, "P-p-p-pizza!" he stuttered.

Rose blinked at him, a brow quirking, "Or a Chinese…"

"Pizza!" Mickey repeated grinning rather manically as he took off down the road.

"Ack!" Poppy exclaimed as he weaved precariously about the street, "What are ya doin'?!" she huffed hastening to buckle up, "Mickey! Ya spaz!"

 ***O*O*O***

"Honestly Mickey," Poppy quirked her brows at her best friend, eyeing the strange wide grin he'd been wearing since they'd come back out of Clive's place, "You're gonna pull a muscle if you keep that up."

"I dunno what you mean, friend, bestie, pal, compadre," Mickey replied, wide grin not faltering in the slightest.

Poppy blinked at him a little perplexed at the strangeness, "Huh?"

"What do you think about trying at the hospital?" Rose asked turning the conversation back to what they'd been talking about when they'd first sat down at the table in the restaurant, "Suki said they had jobs going in the canteen. That's it then…" she sighed, "Dishing out chips."

"Wearing a hairnet and an apron, and getting the smell of food ingrained in your pores," Poppy shook her head, no, not for her.

Rose pulled a face at the image that gave her, yeah. Perhaps not. She sighed and glanced at her ginger twin, "How was taking your A Levels?"

"Stressful," Poppy muttered before levelling a look at her twin, "But worth it."

Rose grimaced, "Yeah, yeah, don't start on me," she huffed, "It's all Jimmy Stone's fault. I only left school because of him, and look where he ended up."

Poppy grimaced at the thought of Jimmy. She'd never liked him. Liked him even less after he broke her sister's heart, "If you really wanted to do your A's you definitely could. I'd even dig out my notes for ya."

"Would ya?" Rose asked hopefully.

Poppy gave Rose a look like she thought the answer should be obvious to the blond, "Duh!" she huffed.

Rose grinned and nodded, "I'll keep that in mind," her twin's notes would be rather handy to have if she did decide to take her A's.

"So, where did you meet this Doctor?" Mickey asked, cutting into the conversation.

"I'm sorry," Rose huffed at him, eyes narrowing with irritation that he'd brought the conversation back round to the Doctor. That man was the last thing she wanted to continue thinking about today not after their strange meeting with Clive the conspiracy nut, "Wasn't I talking about me for a second."

Poppy blinked at her innocently, "Aren't you always?" and Rose swatted at her playfully, mock scowling.

"Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right?" Mickey pressed on, "He have something to do with that."

"No…" Poppy muttered, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, honestly, she hated lying to Mickey, it felt almost as bad as when she tried to lie to her twin.

"Convincing," Rose sniggered at her and Poppy swatted a hand at her as she shot her a look that clearly said, 'not helping'.

"Come on," Mickey wheedled.

Poppy slumped back in her seat giving up on trying to lie, Rose had pretty much dobbed her in anyway, "Kind of."

"What was he doing there?" Mickey questioned, eyeing the two women sitting across from him intently.

"Do we have to go on about it?" Rose sighed, "I really don't want to, Mickey," she admitted, "I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe. I think he's dangerous."

"But you can trust me, sweetheart!" Mickey exclaimed before rambling in quick succession much like he'd done earlier, "Babe, sugar, babe, sugar," his gaze skirted to Poppy, "Right, friend, bestie, pal, compadre?"

Poppy stared at him confused, "Mickey what…"

"Tell me about the Doctor and what's he's planning, and I can help you, Rose, Poppy. Because that's all I really want to do, sweetheart, babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart."

Rose stared at him as equally as confused as Poppy at his behaviour, it really wasn't like him, "What're you doing that for?" she asked as a waiter approached their table, a bottle of champagne in his hands.

"Your champagne?" he proffered the bottle at them.

"We didn't order any champagne," Mickey dismissed him not looking up as he continued to stare at the twins intently, "Where's the Doctor?" he asked a he grabbed Rose's hand.

"Madam, your champagne," the waiter proffered the bottle again this time at Rose.

"It's not ours…" Rose replied distracted as she eyed her boyfriend, "Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I need to find out how much you know," Mickey stated, handing tightening around Rose's, "So where is he?"

"Mickey," Poppy said carefully eyeing how he was tightly holding her twins hand, "I love ya like family but if you don't let go of my sister…"

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?" the waiter cut in, loudly.

"Look," Mickey said with exasperation, "We didn't order it…" he looked up, the twin's following his gaze to see the Doctor standing by the table, bottle of champagne in his hands, "Ah," Mickey smirked triumphantly at him, "Gotcha."

"Don't mind me," the Doctor grinned at them as he started to shake the champagne bottle vigorously, "I'm just toasting the happy couple," he fiddled with the cage around the cork, working it open, "On the house!" he exclaimed as he got it off and the cork popped free of the bottle, smacking directly into Mickey's skull.

"Oh my God!" Poppy gasped as the cork instead of bouncing off Mickey's forehead, it got absorbed into the 'skin', "He's plastic," she gaped as Mickey chewed… she'd thought he was acting a bit unlike himself but she hadn't thought plastic! Hadn't thought that it was possible for her best friend to become some kind of plastic creature thing!

Mickey spat out the cork, glowering at the Doctor the entire time, "Anyway," the Auton Mickey stood, turning a hand into a plastic club and Poppy yanked the shocked gaping Rose up and out of the way just before he brought it down on the table smashing it. Rose screamed in shock whilst Poppy gaped wide eyed as the Doctor grabbed the plastic creature with the face of her friend and proceeded to yank his head from his body.

"Don't think that's gonna stop me," the Auton Mickey declared with a glower and the Doctor grinned at it, whilst a couple at the nearby table screamed eyes wide with shock at what they'd just witnessed.

"Fire alarm," Poppy exclaimed to Rose, nodding at where she'd spotted it against the wall as the plastic body got up and started to thrash and stumble about the restaurant waving its arms, both now shaped like clubs, about. Scaring the already startled customers into a panic.

The pair hurried over to the alarm and a brief moment later it was blaring loudly and shrilly through the chaotic restaurant, "To the exits everyone!" Poppy shouted over the noise at the frantic customers, "Quickly now! Move!"

"Everyone out!" Rose was shouting just as urgently as her twin, "Out now! Get out! Get out!" she repeated a bit panicked, "Get out!"

"Now," Poppy grabbed her twin's hand as the customers raced screaming out the front doors of the restaurant, "We get out!" she urged and they turned fleeing through the kitchens and out the back exit.

The Doctor running after them, the plastic Auton head shaped like Mickey's tucked under an arm. The Auton body stumbling about wrecking more of the restaurant as it hastened to follow after the fleeing trio.

The twins ran straight down the alley towards the gate whilst the Doctor calmly shut the restaurant door they'd burst through, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. The device whirring as he aimed it at the door, locking it, before he turned and started calmly down the alley after the two humans that had reached the locked gate.

"Open the gate!" Rose shouted rattling the doors of the gate in an attempt to pull them open as the Auton slammed up against the back door of the restaurant, "Use that tube thing!" she demanded glancing back at the Doctor, "Come on!"

"What, this?" the Doctor held up the slender device for them to see.

"Yes!" Poppy nodded a bit frantically, turning from looking at the gate that she'd been half pondering if she'd able to manage to scramble up and then pull up her twin, to look at the Doctor seeing him holding up the strange slender device she'd seen him using, "The handy small buzzy thing, that fries lift control panels, fixes toasters and disables killer plastic arms!"

The Doctor huffed a bit amused by her rather frantic description, "It's a sonic screwdriver," he informed her.

Poppy paused at that, blinking, diverted from the impending doom of the plastic body that was hammering against the back door to the restaurant, "Seriously?"

"What's wrong with that?" the Doctor huffed, a little affronted.

"Nothing," Poppy replied, eyeing the slender device with interest and the Doctor beamed a wide grin at her.

"Hardly the time for nattering!" Rose exclaimed banging at the gate, "Use the thingy!" she exclaimed.

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor corrected again.

"Just use it!" Rose demanded shortly.

"Nah," the Doctor replied, tucking his sonic screwdriver away, "Tell you what, let's go in here," he nodded in a direction.

Poppy looked over and blinked at the big blue box she hadn't noticed earlier, "How'd we miss that, Ro-Ro?"

"Does it matter?!" Rose asked as the Doctor moved towards it digging out his key as he went, "We can't hide inside a wooden box!" large dents appeared on the metal backdoor of the restaurant as the Auton continued to hammer at it, "It's going to get us!" she cried as the Doctor slipped inside the wooden box, "Doctor!" she stared at her twin incredulous as the ginger started towards the box, "Poppy! You can't be serious!"

"What else are we gonna do?" Poppy shrugged glancing back at her twin with an arched brow, "Wrestle with the locked gate?" she snarked, before continuing towards the big blue box that was sitting in the alley.

Poppy poked her head inside the box and blinked gaping at the inside with shock, before she popped her head back out, stretching so that she could see around the side of it, before poking her head back in. Whilst behind her Rose tried the gate again, tugging at it uselessly before glancing back at her twin to see her peeking around the sides of the Tardis again in a rather strange fashion before stepping inside the box completely.

Poppy slowly turned as she walked about the large space she'd stepped into, her mouth still agape with awe, hardly aware that she was moving at all as she looked about the room. Her brown eyes wide, until she bumped into something.

"Oi, careful," the Doctor huffed and her head wiped around to look over her shoulder to see him arching a brow at her, "You can't walk through me you know," he chided, before he shifted around her continuing with his setting up of the plastic head still in his hands.

"It's smaller on the outside," Poppy blurted out, unable to help herself as she stared at him her eyes still a little wide.

The Doctor blinked, "That's a bit different," he muttered, finding himself a little disappointed to not hear the usual, "People normally go with…" he broke off as the door opened again and Rose stepped inside.

The blonde's mouth fell open much like her sisters had, before she spun on her heel and darted outside again.

The Doctor huffed out an amused laugh, "You and your sister. You both do good Jack in the Box impressions," he grinned, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and aiming it at the head as Poppy headed back towards the door.

Poppy poked her head back outside in time to see Rose running out from around the side of the big blue box having run a circuit around it.

"It's… It's…" Rose stuttered a bit as her gaze found her twins.

"I know," Poppy nodded a moment the Auton managed to smash a hole through the metal restaurant door, "Rose! Come on!"

Rose nodded in agreement and dashed towards the doors of the strange blue box, her twin stepping back to allow her past, "It's gonna follow us!" she shouted desperately as Poppy slammed the door shut behind her.

"The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried."

Poppy blinked at him quizzically, "The assembled hordes of what?"

"Genghis Khan," the Doctor repeated for her, annunciating the words for her, "Now, shut up a minute."

Rose stood beside her twin, darting her eyes about the strange rounded interior whilst Poppy eyed what the Doctor was doing, attaching wires to the plastic head with open curiosity, "What are you doing?" she broke the silence forgetting briefly that he'd rather rudely demanded silence.

"Hush!" the Doctor insisted not looking up from what he was doing with the head of the Auton, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Alright, alright," Poppy muttered lowly, grimacing slightly, "Didn't have to be rude about it," she groused under her breath unaware that the Doctor could still hear her from where he was standing by the console.

"You see," the Doctor started to explain as he rounded the console after another moment of silence had passed, "The arm was too simple, but the head's perfect," he set the head down on the console wiring the last bits of it into the Tardis console, "I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. Right," he turned to them with a grin, giving them his full attention, "Where do you want to start?"

"Um…" Rose floundered slightly still glancing about rather overwhelmed, "The insides bigger than the outside?"

The Doctor grinned, honestly, it never got old… and he'd missed hearing it in the time that he'd been travelling about on his own, "Yes."

"It's alien," Rose muttered, a bit uncertain as she darted her eyes about the large rounded space again.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded.

"So…" Poppy turned her eyes from the interior to look at him, "This is a spaceship then?"

"Yep," the Doctor nodded again.

"Which means…" Rose muttered drawing his eyes back to her, she trailed before finally posing it as a question, "Are you alien?"

"Yes," the Doctor agreed again, and eyed the two of them carefully, both their faces a bit pale, trying to judge their reactions, "Is that alright?"

Rose swallowed, "Yeah."

"Sure," Poppy nodded, swallowing a bit herself before taking a small steadying breath, "So, what's her name?" she asked.

The Doctor arched a brow at her, eyeing her curiously, "What makes you think she has one?"

Poppy shrugged, "All ships have names," she stated glancing about the alien interior of the ship again, "Whether they're a sea ship or a spaceship."

"It's called the Tardis," the Doctor replied patting the console he was standing in front of fondly, "T.A.R.D.I.S. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

"Catchy," Poppy murmured.

Rose let out a sob as she burst into tears and Poppy turned, wrapping her arms about her twin, hugging her, "Its ok, Ro-Ro. We're alright," Poppy murmured as she rubbed her hands up and down Rose's back as the blonde's shoulders shook.

"That's ok," the Doctor nodded, "Culture shock. Happens to the best of us," he assured them as he shifted about the console.

"They made a plastic Mickey," Rose murmured around her tears as she hugged her twin, getting the gingers yellow t-shirt wet.

"I know," Poppy murmured back, swallowed heavily, heart clenching in her chest with worry, as her gaze went to the head that was sat on the console, "I'm sure he's ok, though," she tried to assure herself and her twin as she blinked back tears of her own. She really hoped that her best friend was ok. That they hadn't hurt him, doing whatever they'd done to create a plastic creature version of him.

"Did they kill him?" Rose asked turning her head, but not pulling away from the comfort of her twin's arms, her heart aching, "Mickey?" Rose clarified as the Doctor blinked at her a bit quizzically, her eyes narrowing on him, "Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?"

"Oh…" the Doctor grimaced, tugging at his ear, "I didn't think of that," he muttered, internally cringing at the domestics that were playing out in front of him, and inside his Tardis at that, he grimaced again.

"He's my sisters best friend. My boyfriend," Rose narrowed her eyes on him as Poppy's arms tightened about her, "You pulled his head off. They copied him and you didn't even think?" she questioned, before her gaze went back to the head of the Auton Mickey, to see the plastic was melting heavily into the grating, "And now you're just going to let him melt?"

"Melt?" the Doctor blinked.

"He's melting," Poppy exclaimed aghast her gaze having shot back to the head at her sisters observation, her arms tightening about Rose again before releasing her as the blond pulled away whilst the Doctor turned to look at the head, his eyes widening at the sight of the heavily melting head.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, NO!" the Doctor grumbled as he started to frantically run about the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers.

"What're you doing?!" Rose questioned with alarm as she and Poppy watched him madly dash about the console.

"Reviving the signal, it's fading!" the Doctor replied not pausing in what he was doing, "Wait I've got it…" he turned his head to look at the monitor, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he groused hands moving frantically over the console. The Tardis starting to shake as the engines stirred to life, the rota rising and falling.

"What's happening?" Poppy asked as she glanced about the now shaking spaceship curiously and a little worried. Was she supposed to shake?

"We're almost there!" the Doctor called in response not tearing his eyes away from the console as he urged his ship on, "Almost there! Almost there!" he pressed some more buttons and pulled another lever, "Here we go!" he shouted as the shaking came to a stop and he turned and dashed for the doors.

"Here we go, where?!" Poppy called, not hesitating to follow him in her curiosity. Had they moved? And if so… where had they ended up?

"You can't go out there!" Rose shouted alarmed as her twin ran after the Doctor, "Poppy!" she cried before hastening to follow her twin, "It's not safe!"

"We're in Westminster!" Poppy couldn't help but gape, surprised and delighted as she glanced around the north bank of the Thames, they were right next to the RAF monument. They'd moved! They'd really moved! She couldn't help but smile.

"I lost the signal," the Doctor bemoaned ignoring Poppy as he wandered a short distance away, "I got so close."

"We've moved!" Rose blinked surprised and confused as she stepped out of the Tardis to see the north bank of the Thames.

"Yep!" Poppy agreed, smiling at her twin.

"Does it fly?" Rose asked her eyes going to where the Doctor stood, his back to them.

"Disappears there and reappears here, you wouldn't understand," the Doctor replied, distracted, as he started to pace back and forth, gaze searching.

"So… it teleports?" Poppy frowned a bit pensively.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," the Doctor informed her over his shoulder, still distracted, still searching.

Rose swallowed, "But if we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing?" she questioned brow furrowed lightly in concern, "It's still on the loose."

"Yeah…" Poppy frowned with concern, "And I don't think that gate would stall it for long," it had smashed a hole through the metal door after all.

"It melted with the head," the Doctor informed them dismissively, "Are you two going to witter on all night?"

"Are you always going to be this rude?" Poppy shot back, her arms crossing and the Doctor rolled his eyes.

Rose sighed lowly, her eyes going to her twin, "We'll have to tell his mother," she lamented, heart sore.

Poppy shook her head, "I'm choosing to believe he's alive," she stated, before swallowing her heart feeling heavy, "Until, if, we find proof that tells us otherwise."

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at them, staring at them quizzically, what were they wittering on about now? He was busy!

"Mickey!" the twin's exclaimed in response, expressions incredulous as they glowered at him indignantly.

"We'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again!" Rose exclaimed angrily.

Poppy gritted her teeth, "He's not dead," she denied, shaking her head adamantly he couldn't be!

"You were right," Rose seethed still glowering at the Doctor as he rolled his eyes completely unconcerned, "You _are_ alien."

"Look," the Doctor called after the twins as they turned to walk away from him, and they paused, "If I did forget some kid called Mickey…"

"He's my best friend!" Poppy yelled as she and Rose whirled back around to face him, a finger pointed at him.

"Yeah, and he's not a kid!" Rose shouted, the pair levelling twin glares, their angry brown eyes identical.

"It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, alright?!" the Doctor yelled, glowering right back at them.

"Alright!" Rose shouted.

"Fine!" Poppy shouted at almost the same instant.

"Yes! It is!" the Doctor snapped, glaring, irritated. Why exactly had he stopped them from leaving again?

Rose shook her head in disbelief arms crossing at almost the exact same moment that Poppy crossed hers. The ginger taking in a calming breath as she too glanced away from the alien.

Rose looked back at the Doctor, eyeing him a bit sceptically, "If you are an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?"

Poppy blinked her gaze going back to the Doctor her arms uncrossing, he did sound like he was from the North.

"Lots of planets have a North," he harrumphed dismissively, crossing his arms indignantly as he looked away from them, frowning.

"You trying to tell us that the North's on every planet out there sound exactly the same?" Poppy asked, brows quirking at him, a bit amused and a bit disbelieving.

"Might do," the Doctor retorted, with a bit of an evasive shrug and a tiny smirk as he turned his head to look at them again.

Rose glanced at the big blue box again, eyes lifting to lettering on it, "What's a police public call box?" she questioned, eyes going back to the Doctor.

The Doctor grinned, "It's a telephone box from the 1950's," he explained.

"Ok," Poppy nodded then blinked, a brow arching curiously, lips quirking up into a small kind of bemused smile as her eyes went back to the box, "Why does it look like telephone box from the 1950's?"

"It's a disguise," the Doctor grinned again, patting the side of the Tardis fondly.

Rose shook her head, exchanging a bemused smile with her twin as they glanced at each other, "Ok," the blonde's eyes focused back on the Doctor, "And this living plastic, what's it got against us?"

"Nothing," the Doctor replied.

"Nothing?" Poppy parroted a bit incredulous, her brows rising, what was it trying to kill them for then?

"It loves you," the Doctor nodded, "You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air… perfect," he grinned at them, "Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all it's protein plants rotted," he explained, "So Earth… dinner!"

"Any way of stopping it?" Rose asked.

The Doctor grinned at them and pulled out a tube of liquid from his inside jacket pocket, showing it to them.

Poppy blinked at it, "Blue goop?" she glanced up at him, "Blue gloop is gonna stop the living plastic things?"

The Doctor huffed out a breath at her, "It's Anti-plastic."

"Ant-plastic," Poppy tested the word, her brows creeping up again.

"Anti-plastic," Rose repeated a little incredulously, eyeing the small tube of blue liquid-y goop dubiously.

"Anti-plastic!" the Doctor exclaimed, with a bit of an amused smirk before tucking the tube back into his inside jacket pocket, "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"You consider London small?" Poppy quirked her brows at him as he turned from them starting to look around again.

"Tiny," the Doctor replied and Poppy blinked unable to help but wonder just what he'd been able to see that dwarfed London so greatly in comparison.

"Hold on…" Rose frowned at his back, "Hide what?"

"The transmitter," the Doctor explained, "The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"What's it look like?" Rose questioned as she started glancing about the night as the Doctor started to pace back and forth again.

"Like a transmitter," the Doctor retorted.

"We're going to need a bit more than that," Poppy glanced at him, before going back to scanning the area with her eyes.

"Round and massive," the Doctor expounded in response, "Slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure… like a dish…" he came to a stop in front of them, his back to the harbour, "Like a wheel. Close to where we're standing," the twin's gazes slid past him to the 450 foot London Eye as he continued, "Must be completely invisible," he paused, eyeing their considering expressions as they stared past him, "What?" they nodded, still staring at a point behind him and he turned, brow furrowed, eyes scanning the south bank, before he turned back to them completely nonplussed, "What?" he demanded again, looking from one to the other questioningly. Rose shook her head, her eyes still locked on the London Eye and the Doctor turned eyes scanning the south bank again, before turning back to them again, "What is it?" he insisted and Poppy pulled her eyes away long enough to glance at him, lips quirking at him, "What?" he persisted and the ginger pointed at a spot behind him. The Doctor whirled around again, a bit irritated now and his eyes locked on the London Eye, "Oh…" it clicked for him and he grinned his previous irritation forgotten, "Fantastic!" he whirled back around the beaming grin still lighting up his face and the twins grinned back widely, tongues poking out from between their teeth, before the trio were running. The Doctor's hand finding Poppy's as they took off, running the length of the Westminster bridge and crossing over to the south bank. The three not stopping until they'd reached the foot of the London Eye.

"Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive," the Doctor told them, "The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables…"

"The dolls…" Poppy grimaced.

"The breast implants…" Rose added.

Poppy blinked, nose wrinkling as she glanced at her twin, "Now, that's a disturbing image."

"Still," the Doctor continued, "We've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath," and the three split up as they started to look around the area for anything that looked like a possible entrance.

"What about down here?" Rose called and the Doctor and Poppy turned to see her looking over the parapet. They hurried over and looked over it with her to see a large manhole at the bottom of a set of steps.

"Oh, jackpot," Poppy smiled.

"Looks good to me," the Doctor nodded and the three descended, running down the stairs to the manhole. He took the lid off the top and smoke tinted an ominous red by a light billowed out at them.

Poppy and Rose watched as the Doctor lowered himself into the man hole, quickly disappearing from view as he climbed down the short ladder. They shared a look before they moved towards it Poppy descending the ladder and then Rose. The pair swiftly following the Doctor over to another door. He got it open and they stepped through it into another chamber, before starting down another set of steps that led them into a larger multi-level chamber. The Doctor pointed to a large vat in the centre of the chamber, a wobbly orange mass inside it, "The Nestene Consciousness, that's it, inside the vat. A living, plastic creature."

Rose nodded, eyeing it, before she turned her gaze to the Doctor giving him a look, "Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go."

"I'm not here to kill it," the Doctor frowned as he glanced at her, "I've got to give it a chance."

"To what?" Poppy blinked at him, "Repent?" she muttered.

"Pretty much," the Doctor grinned at her.

Poppy blinked at him again. He was serious. He was really serious. Living plastic that wanted to destroy their world as they knew it, and he wanted to give it a chance to apologise? "Ok," she nodded slowly, blowing out a breath, eyeing him, "How likely is it to do that?"

"Won't know till I ask it," the Doctor replied before he started down some more steps, Poppy and Rose exchanging a quick look as they followed him, "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor announced, leaning over the railings and the Consciousness flexed and wobbled about as it made its reply, "Thank you," the Doctor replied and Poppy and Rose glanced around the space. The blond pacing a bit, "If I might have permission to approach?"

"Mickey!" Poppy exclaimed catching sight of his huddled form and the Doctor rolled his eyes as the twins dashed over to him.

"Oh, God!" Rose exclaimed, "Mickey, it's us! It's ok. It's alright!" she told him as they squatted down next to him twin relieved smiles on their faces.

"Are you hurt?" Poppy asked looking his huddled up form over.

"That thing down there," Mickey swallowed, barely able to pull his horrified gaze away from the orange mass in the vat to look at them, "The liquid. It can talk!"

Rose wrinkled her nose at her boyfriend, "You're stinking!" she grimaced.

"What did you do? Take a dive in a dumpster?" Poppy asked, her own nose scrunching up at the smell clinging to him.

"It wasn't voluntary!" Mickey exclaimed staring up at her wide eyed, voice trembling slightly as he recalled unable to pull free of the plastic clinging to him, before being pulled headfirst into the dark depths of the black wheelie bin.

"Doctor," Rose called, grinning with relief, "They kept him alive!"

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded a bit absently, "That was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

Rose scowled at him with irritation, glaring at the Doctor's back, "You knew that and you never said?"

"Can we keep the domestics outside?" the Doctor huffed.

"I'll give you domestics in a minute!" Poppy grumbled lowly, glowering at the Doctor herself before focusing on Mickey, smiling with relief again as she and Rose helped him to his feet. He was alive…! And from what she could tell, unharmed.

"Thank you," the Doctor muttered as silence came from where the three had grouped together as he approached the vat, "Am I addressing the Consciousness?" he spoke to the mass in the vat, focusing his attention on the creature, "Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warped, shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" the living plastic globbered and the Doctor frowned, "Oh, don't give me that, it's an invasion! Plain and simple! Don't talk about constitutional rights!" the Doctor demanded and the plastic roared angrily rearing up to form a head, "I… AM…TALKING!" he roared back, "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf - please, just go."

Poppy was brushing some crud from Mickey's shirt, looking him over again when her attention was torn away by her twin's alarmed cry.

"Doctor!"

She turned to look in time to see two window shop dummies grab the Doctor by the arms and she frowned her gaze darting around the large multi-level chamber. Just where had those two come from? And, where there anymore of them waiting to creep out of the woodwork to take them by surprise?

"Poppy!" Rose hissed her eyes wide as her ginger haired twin moved to take a step towards the Doctor and the dummies holding him captive, one reaching into the Doctor's jacket. A hand catching Poppy's arm and gripping firmly, as Mickey reached out and fisted a hand tightly around the back of her jacket, bringing her up short and she glanced back at them taking in the concern and fear on their faces.

"That was just insurance! I wasn't going to _use_ it," the Doctor assured the living plastic struggling to get free whilst the plastic globbered angrily at him again, "I was not attacking you. I'm here to help," he insisted, "I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not..." he paused as it globbered again, "What do you mean?" he asked confused.

Doors above him blew open and the four in the chamber with the Consciousness turned their heads looking up to see the Tardis in the doorway.

"Oh, oh no, honestly, no!" the Doctor exclaimed with alarm, "Yes, that's my ship," he attempted to explain to the living plastic only for it to roar enraged, "That's not true," he denied, "I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault! I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!" he shouted.

"What's it doing?!" Rose shouted as the place suddenly started to shake around them rather violently.

"It's the Tardis! The Nestene has identified its superior technology. It's terrified! It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Poppy! Rose! Just leg it! Now!" he shouted desperately as he struggled against the grip the dummies had on him. He didn't want to lose anyone else he couldn't.

"Poppy, what are you doing?!" Rose hissed as her twin started towards the Doctor again, shaking off her and Mickey's hands.

Poppy swallowed tearing her eyes from the dummies and the Doctor to look at her twin again, "Probably something stupid," she admitted with a small grimace, before starting forward again, face set in a determined line as she approached.

Mickey let out a whimper and clutched at Rose tighter as he watched his best friend move further and further away from them and closer and closer to danger. Rose's brow furrowed with concern and worry for her twin as her eyes followed her movements, her teeth abusing her lower lip almost painfully.

Poppy continued, moving closer and closer to the Doctor and the roaring vat of Nestene Consciousness, her steps slow and careful due to the shaking, not feeling or hearing her phone ringing and vibrating in her jeans pocket.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor questioned alarmed as he spotted her closing distance, "I said run, Poppy!"

"You did," Poppy agreed, not looking away from the tube filled with anti-plastic in the dummies hand as she reached out for it, snatching it in a quick movement and ducking backwards at it swiped at her viscously, releasing the Doctor to follow, herding her back away from the large roaring mass in the vat.

"Ooh," Rose bemoaned as she watched her twin duck and dodge the viscously swiping plastic arms of the dummy that was trying to grab for her, "She did something stupid alright," her heart pounding as she watched her twin block a blow from the arm before swiftly having to duck as its other arm came at her once again. All the while Poppy was trying to manoeuvre herself back towards the roaring vat.

Mickey whimpered his agreement.

The Doctor who'd been gaping shocked, still held in place by one of the dummies, gave himself a bit of a mental shake, "Just toss it in!" he shouted at her.

"I'm trying!" Poppy shouted back with irritation as the dummy cut off her attempt to get round it once again. A swiping arm forcing her back again and she scowled with mounting irritation, her hand that was clutching the anti-plastic tube, that the dummy was trying to take her head off for, getting sweaty.

"Ooh, talk about bad timing!" Rose groused as she heard her phone ringing, glancing away from her sister as she tugged it out to look at the screen with the intention of hanging up, only to see her 'Mum' on the caller ID and so jabbed the accept button instead, "Mum?!"

"Oh, good I managed to get you," Jackie replied, "I was just trying to get a hold of your sister. Where is she?"

"She's uh," Rose glanced anxiously at her twin as the dummy managed to grab her by the throat, only for her to break out of it in the next moment as she brought her arms up slamming them down against the dummies arms, before head butting it knocking its head a bit askew, making it release her and stumble backwards a bit whilst Poppy groaned a hand going briefly to her head, dummies heads where harder than they looked, apparently, "Busy," Rose finished a bit lamely as Poppy started moving again.

"Oh, and here I thought she was avoiding me 'cos she thought I wanted to yell about the mess you two made of the living room," Jackie muttered dryly, "Anyway, tell her that she can get compensation. I said so. I've got this document thing off the police – tell her she doesn't have to thank me."

Rose tensed a bit more at that, "Where are you mum?!"

"I'm in town," Jackie replied.

"No, go home!" Rose exclaimed urgently, half shouting in fear for not just her mum but her sister too, "Just go home, right now!"

"Darling, you're breaking up," Jackie told her, "Listen, I'm just going to do a bit of late night shopping. I'll see you later. Ta-ra!"

"Mum!" Rose shouted into the phone as the line went dead, trying to throw off Mickey's clinging hands, "Mum!"

"What the hell is that?!" Poppy shouted alarmed as she finally managed to duck around the dummy to start towards the vat as a bright bolt of energy shot up from the orange roaring mass.

"It's the activation signal," the Doctor shouted in reply as the dummy kept its grip on him, holding him by the edge, "It's transmitting!"

"It's the end of the world…" Rose swallowed heavily as high above them the Eye of London lit up with energy.

"No it's not!" Poppy shouted as she ran for the vat that the other dummy was now trying to push the Doctor into only to be brought up short as the dummy chasing her grabbed her tightly by the arm, "Omph," she grunted as she struggled to pull her arm free, "Let go!"

"Get out, Rose!" the Doctor shouted, tearing his eyes from the struggling Poppy to look at Rose who was staring at her twin, "Just get out! Run!" he insisted a moment before a section of the ceiling collapsed.

"The stairs have gone!" Rose shouted, heart pounding and she wasn't prepared to leave her twin behind, not when she couldn't run too! Her gaze went to the Tardis and she ran for it, Mickey following her. Maybe, just maybe she could find something in there that'd help do something… she didn't have a clue what though. She tried the doors, only to find them locked, she smacked at them agitatedly, "I don't have the key!"

"We're gonna die!" Mickey cried alarmed and terrified as he crouched down, cowering, overwhelmed by everything that had happened to him and what was going on right now. Whilst Rose darted her gaze about desperately in search of something anything else!

"No, we're not!" Poppy all but growled as she managed to slam her elbow back twisting to try and break free only for the tube to slip from her sweaty hand and her eyes widened as it went flying through the air. Making Poppy still in alarm, eyes wide with horror as she watched it move through the air.

"No!" the Doctor shouted as it came back down a fair distance from the vat, afraid that it'd break open. Their last chance lost. It clattered to the ground, not breaking. It skidded across the floor closer to the vat, but stopped short.

And it was like the world came flooding back to Poppy as she unfroze, fighting with the dummy that had her arm again, its other hand trying to grasp her other arm again as it started trying to force her closer to the vat with the intention of pushing her in.

"Time Lord!" the Consciousness roaring globbering seemed to shriek in its increasing agitation.

"Just leave him!" Mickey shouted after Rose as she moved, running about the chamber snatching up an axe, "There's nothing you can do!"

"I've got no A Levels… no job… no future…" Rose exclaimed starting to hack at a rope that was holding a long chain secured to the wall.

"Yes you do!" Poppy grunted, slamming her elbow back again as the dummy brought her too close to the edge for her comfort twisting herself, grabbing the dummy firmly as she knocked its hand free of her, before with sure hands and a powerful movement flipped it up into the air and over her head, sending it right into the bubbling vat.

"Ok, maybe you're a little scary," the Doctor commented rather surprised again and impressed and Poppy shot him a quick tongue between her teeth grin before she was turning to run for where the tube had skidded too.

"And no martial arts training," Rose continued as she chopped through the rope and grasped the chain between her hands, "But I tell you what I have got. Jericho Street Junior School under 7's gymnastic team. I got the Bronze!" she declared determined before she took a small run and swung across the chamber, legs extended out before her as she swung through the air towards the Doctor, knocking the single dummy that had hold of him right into the vat.

The Doctor grabbed her as she swung back helping her get her feet under her again, before his attention returned to Poppy who'd just picked up the tube of anti-plastic, "Toss it in and let's go!" he shouted to her. Poppy nodded and tossed it into the vat before running over to the Doctor and her sister, giving her twin a tight hug, just before the Consciousness started to explode as the anti-plastic started to take effect. The Doctor grabbed them pulling them away from the edge, "Right, now we're in trouble."

The three ran over to the Tardis where Mickey still cowered holding onto it for dear life eyes wide and terrified. The Doctor swiftly unlocked the door and the Time Lord ushered them in before him before darting in himself shutting the door on the dying living plastic creature as the fire the explosions had caused started to spread. The big blue box materialising from the chamber as the angry orange mass gave another pain filled roar.

The moment the Tardis reappeared in an alleyway by a row of shuttered kiosks, Mickey dashed out the doors like the hounds of hell were after him, before he fell to the ground and stayed their staring at the box, terrified.

Poppy and Rose stepped out next a lot calmer, the blonde's phone already going to her ear as she rang her mother back, needing to know that she had escaped unharmed and beamed a grin as her mum answered.

"Rose! Rose! You and your sister, don't go out of the house!"

"Sounds like she's fine," Poppy breathed relieved as her sister let out a relieved laugh, her mum's voice having been loud enough to carry to her.

Rose nodded pulling her phone from her ear as they walked towards Mickey whilst the Doctor leaned against the open doorway of the Tardis watching them.

 ***O*O*O***

"It's not safe!" Jackie cried into her phone, unaware that her daughter was no longer listening, "There were these things, and they were shooting! And they…" she frowned as the line went dead, "Hello?! Hello?!"

 ***O*O*O***

"A fat lot of good you were," Rose grumbled at Mickey as she and Poppy came up to him, Mickey immediately latching onto their legs.

"Leave him alone," Poppy chided her twin and his arm tightened around the leg that he had it wrapped around, "He's had a tough day."

"Oh, like we haven't," Rose muttered but smiled good naturedly, before she shook her head, looking down at Mickey again.

"Nestene Consciousness," the Doctor cut in from where he was still standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, he clicked his fingers, "Easy," he smirked at them.

"Says the guy who got himself taken hostage," Poppy retorted, smirking back at him, brown eyes shining.

"You were useless in there," Rose agreed with a smirk of her own, "You'd be dead if it weren't for me and Poppy."

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "I would. Thank you. Both of you," he added with a smile before he straightened up, "Right then! I'll be off!" he clapped his hands together and then paused, "Unless… uh…" his gaze focused on Poppy who quirked her brows up at him curiously, her breath catching in her throat, "I don't know… you could come with me."

Poppy swallowed her mouth feeling dry as her gaze drifted behind him to the big blue box that was bigger on the inside, hesitating, "I…" she trailed as she felt the arm around her leg tighten further as Mickey clutched at her, eyeing the Doctor with suspicion and fear.

"You both could," the Doctor carried on his gaze flicking to Rose to let her know that he was including her, before he turned his head to look at his box, patting it with a fond hand, "This box isn't just a London hopper, you know," he looked back at them, eyes focusing on Poppy who was staring transfixed and he smiled, "It goes anywhere," he informed her and her eyes jerked to his, "Anywhere in the universe," he added persuasively and saw her swallow hard eyes not wavering from his, "Free of charge."

"Don't!" Mickey spoke up for the first time since he'd run into the Tardis, "He's an alien!" he cried clutching the Tyler twins harder, not wanting to let go, "He's a thing!"

"He's _not_ invited," the Doctor shot him a glare before he focused back on the twins who had both been rather fantastic, "What do you think?" he questioned, "You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go, uh..." he smiled at them, wide and encouragingly, "Anywhere."

"Is it always that dangerous?" Rose asked a bit cautiously, her gaze flicking from the box to the Doctor.

"Yeah," the Doctor gave a small nod.

"Yeah, I can't," Rose shook her head, sadly, feeling Mickey's arm tight about her leg.

Poppy swallowed again, before she managed to tear her eyes away from the Doctor who was offering her everything that she'd ever dreamed about and more to look at her sister, "Will you tell mum not to worry," she asked, her heart pounding with excitement at the prospect of being able go somewhere. Travel somewhere anywhere in the universe.

"Poppy…" Rose frowned as her eyes shot to her twin swallowing heavily, her sad brown eyes meeting her sisters excited ones. Her sister had always wanted to travel… to see the world far more than anyone else she'd ever met…

"Could you tell her," Poppy continued, "That I got the chance to go somewhere amazing and that I'll be back as soon as I can…"

"Well," Rose started her throat tight with reluctance, wishing that she could go with… "Got to find her anyway…" she muttered.

"He just said it was dangerous!" Mickey protested, clutching at her.

"I know," Poppy nodded as she looked down at Mickey placing a hand on his head, "But, I can't not Micks. It's all I've ever wanted," she looked back up at her twin, brown eyes hopeful, "You sure you don't wanna come with?" it was the one thing that would make it even better, if her twin was there too.

Rose hesitated, eyes going back to the big blue box and the Doctor, a bit of longing in her eyes, Mickey's arm tightened about her, "We can't both swan off on mum without any notice she'd freak," she looked back at her sister who grimaced, "Plus someone's gotta look after this lump, so…" she let out a somewhat pained laugh as she placed a hand on Mickey's head.

Poppy nodded, eyes on her twin.

"Right," the Doctor nodded, getting uncomfortable with all the domestics, "See you inside then Poppy," he glanced back at Rose briefly, "See you around, Rose," he nodded at her before disappearing inside.

Rose stepped away from Mickey forcing him to let her go and wrapped her twin in a tight hug, "Be back really soon!" she murmured, tears pricking at her eyes. She'd thought she'd have more time before her twin got to go travelling.

"I promise!" Poppy nodded, hugging her twin back just as tightly, before pulling away, "Bye, Micks!" she said stooping to give him a quick hug, "I'll miss ya and I promise I'll bring you both back something!"

"Better be something awesome!" Rose called after her as she started for the Tardis.

Poppy smirked at her from over her shoulder, "Would I give you something that was anything less?" she retorted, before she turned away and her steps quickened, swiftly breaking into a run, before she disappeared inside the Tardis, the door shutting behind her, and an instant later the Tardis wheezed, dematerialising.

Rose sighed loudly, her heart heavy in her chest. She'd see her twin again, she assured herself as she glanced down at Mickey, "Come on, let's go," she tried to urge him up…

 ***O*O*O***

"So," the Doctor grinned at Poppy from across the Tardis console, "Where did you want to go first? You can pick anywhere in the universe…"

"First?" Poppy murmured, "I dunno…" she had so much to choose from! So many places she wanted to go! And now there was a whole universe instead of just Earth to choose from. Where was she even supposed to start, "I want it to be a really good one…" she mused aloud and the Doctor nodded, "I mean I can't stay long," he froze, "Just long enough for a trip…" the Doctor's expression fell dramatically as he eyed her, "Maybe two depending…"

"You're not planning on staying?" he questioned, doing his best to sound casual, "I thought you wanted to travel. See the world… the universe."

"I do!" Poppy insisted, "But, this is really sudden, and I didn't really have a chance to let mum know… and it wouldn't be fair to disappear for ages without even a goodbye! Not mention I don't have a bag, clothes, passport. Anything…" she trailed and blinked at him, "What are you looking at me like that for?"

The Doctor tugged at his ear as he continued to eye her, a look of realisation brightening his face, "Did I forget to mention… that it travels in time?" he asked almost offhandedly, something that was spoiled by the wide amused grin that curved up his lips as she gaped at him, mouth opening and closing for an extended moment.

"No!" Poppy exclaimed trying to sound annoyed and failing miserably as she couldn't help but grin back, "You left that bit out!"

"Right then," the Doctor gave a nod and turned back to the console, "Hold on a minute," his hands moved about the console, "My mistake!" he grinned as the Tardis started shaking lightly as he sent them back through the vortex, materialising his ship back in the alley a mere couple of seconds after they'd left, "Won't be a second!" he started for the doors, a bounce in his step. Poppy staring after him a bit bemused and a bit hopeful as he pulled one of the doors open and stuck his head out, "By the way…" he called, still grinning, "Did I mention it also travels in time?" he turned and started back towards the console, "She won't be a minute," he said with confidence, jerking a thumb over his shoulder as he grinned at Poppy.

No more than a second later Rose ran into the Tardis, bright enthusiastic grin on her face and Poppy grinned back, the door clicking quietly shut behind her. The Tardis wheezing as she dematerialised from the alley again, leaving Mickey standing alone in the alley, gaping rather horrified, at the space it had been, taking his best friend and his girlfriend with it.


	2. Chapter 2 The End of the World

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just Poppy my o/c.

 **A/N:** Big thank you to everyone who followed/favourited and reviewed the previous chapter. And also another thank you goes to **Maethoriel Artemis** and **Saberbladeprime** for reading over this chapter for me and giving me feedback.

 **CHAPTER 2**

 **The End of the World**

"Right then," the Doctor grinned at the twins from across the console, "Poppy and Rose Tyler, you tell me. Where do you want to go?" he asked them, "Backwards or forwards in time. What's it going to be?"

"Forwards," the twins replied and then glanced at each other, and grinned, tongues between their teeth.

"Definitely forwards," Poppy nodded as they turned back to the Doctor, still grinning with growing excitement.

The Doctor moved his hands over the console, pressing a few buttons, before looking back up at them, "How far?"

"One hundred years," Rose suggested a random number immediately, before looking at her twin to see her nodding in enthusiastic agreement.

The Doctor grinned before he pulled a lever and turned a knob. The Tardis engines lurching as the ship took them forward in time. The engines fell silent after only a few seconds as the ship stopped at their destination.

"There you go, step outside those doors," the Doctor pointed at the closed doors of the Tardis, "It's the twenty-second century."

"You're kidding," Rose stared at him, eyes shining, whilst Poppy looked over her shoulder to stare at the doors.

"Nope," the Doctor replied.

"Seriously?" Poppy looked back at him, feeling herself practically thrumming with excitement. He nodded with a wide grin and she turned to head for the doors eager to see what was beyond them only to stop before she'd barely taken a step as the Doctor spoke again.

"That's a bit boring, though," he commented and Poppy turned back around, eyes meeting his across the console, "Do you want to go further?"

The twins shared a look, the blond giving the ginger a nod as she grinned again, "Well, if one hundred years is boring…" Poppy mused, eyeing the Doctor with rising excitement, "What about one thousand?"

The Doctor twisted another knob, pressed a few more buttons, before pulling down a lever and the engines lurched to life again, sending them further into the future. The Tardis traveling for a few moments longer than last time, "There you are," the Doctor grinned, "It's one thousand years into your future outside those doors…" Poppy turned again eagerly eyeing the doors and went to start for it, "That's still a bit boring though," he mused and Poppy whirled back around and the Doctor grinned at the look on her face, that was both anticipatory and the slightest bit impatient. She wanted to see! "Should we go further?" he asked as he eyed the two of them, his gaze almost challenging, daring them.

"Sure!" Poppy exclaimed, swiftly nodding.

"Fine by me!" Rose agreed, the pair shooting him another beaming grin, excitement thrumming through them.

The Doctor focused on the console again, the engines lurching to life once more as he sent them further. The engines stopped again and he looked up at them, "Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the New Roman Empire."

"You think you're so impressive," Rose teased.

"I _am_ so impressive," the Doctor countered.

"Phfft!" Poppy made a teasing scoffing sound, that had the Doctor's eyes narrowing on her as Rose exclaimed.

"You wish!"

"Right then," the Doctor huffed. He was totally impressive, "You two asked for it!" the Doctor warned the twins as he shifted slightly about the console an idea occurring to him, "I know exactly where to go," he declared. He'd show them impressive! He grinned rather manically in his growing excitement as he revved up the engines again and pumped a lever furiously, "Hold on!" and the twins grabbed at the console a second before the Tardis lurched again, shaking a bit as she hurtled through the vortex at speed.

The Tardis came to a sudden stop and announced their arrival with a cheery 'ping' the sentient ship rather glad to have companions in the Tardis again after so long of her Thief travelling in depressive self-imposed isolation.

The twins turned their heads to look at the door, before turning their bright excited eyes back to the Doctor, "Where are we?" the Doctor merely gestured toward the Tardis doors, "What's out there?" they tried again. He gestured at the doors again with energetic insistence, wide beaming grin in place.

"Not even gonna give us a hint?" Poppy asked a bit breathless with anticipation. Her brown eyes wide with it as she tore her gaze from the doors to look at him. The Doctor shook his head rather smugly at her in response, still grinning. He swept his arm encouragingly towards the doors a third time and the twins broke. Too eager and impatient to see what lay beyond the doors to continue trying to pry the information from him.

The Doctor grinned wider as he watched the excited duo run for the Tardis doors, starting after them at a more sedated pace as they opened the doors and hurried out of them. The first trip was always his favourite.

Poppy looked about the large wooden room they stepped into curiously as she and Rose walked down some stairs. Her teeth sank into her lower lip, anticipation burning, there was still no indication of just where the Doctor had taken them.

' _Just where are we?'_

Poppy glanced at the Doctor about to ask again only to see him flashing his sonic at what she soon realised were the controls to a set of shutters as they slid open. Revealing a large window and she inhaled sharply as she stared out it, eyes locked on the view they were being given, "We're…" she breathed, awed. She swallowed, her mouth once again feeling a bit dry, tongue flicking out over her lips, wetting them, "We're staring at the Earth!" never in a million years had she ever thought that she'd get to see the Earth like this… it was… it was beautiful… gorgeous… absolutely positively stunning!

Rose nodded wordlessly, eyes not wavering from the Earth, their home planet as it sat out in space, out among the stars.

The Doctor smiled as he came to stand beside them, looking at them taking in the awe on their expressions. Yeah, he grinned, the first trip was always his favourite, "You lot," he commented as his eyes went to the planet below them and their eyes flicked to him, "You spend all your time thinking about dying. Like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids," Poppy's eyes returned to the planet, "But you never take time to imagine the impossible. Maybe you survive. This is the year 5.5/apple/26," Poppy blinked, brows quirking a bit bemused by that. Her eyes going back to him as the Doctor continued, "Five billion years in your future. This is the day… hold on…" he lifted his arm, checking his watch, just to be sure that he hadn't gotten it a bit wrong, "This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

Poppy swallowed and frowned slightly as her gaze went back to the beautiful planet. Her excitement dimming, unsure how she felt about seeing her world… her home, burn. A place that had so much that she still wanted to see and experience, and she was about to see it die… die before she'd even had the chance to see more than a fraction of it… She swallowed again, and turned her eyes away from the beautiful planet below them, reminding herself that this was a future event. An event billions of years into her future and that the planet… her present planet still had billions of billions of years before the sun expanded. Her gaze went to the Doctor as he started away, brown eyes curious again, speaking of years, "What kind of year is 'apple' anyway?" she asked as she and Rose fell into step with him.

"It's five billion years into your future, Poppy," the Doctor reminded her as they walked across the room towards a door, "They've had to get creative," he explained a bit absently, before he glanced at her, eyeing her up and down as the three paused at the door, "What's wrong with apples?" he questioned.

Poppy blinked, eyeing him as she quirked her brows at him, "Nothing."

"She loves 'em," Rose supplied with a bit of a small grin.

"Their sweet, juicy and the best ones are crunchy," Poppy continued, rambling just a little bit in her returning enthusiasm, "Never thought of one being used as a year though."

The Doctor nodded and then glanced at her again curiously, "What do you think of bananas?" he asked as he flashed his sonic at the control panel of the door, getting it open.

"Um…" Poppy blinked at his back again a little surprised by the question as she and Rose followed him through the now open doorway and into a corridor, "They make my favourite flavour of smoothie…?" the Doctor nodded, "Why?"

The Doctor shrugged, "Wonderful fruit bananas," he responded, grinning, rather pleased as he led them further down the corridor, making towards another door.

"Shuttles 5 and 6 now docking," a computerised voice announced, "Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for 15:39, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."

"So, when it says 'guests'," Rose began, head tilting slightly as she glanced at the Doctor again, eyeing him a bit uncertain as she considered the words of the announcement, "Does that mean people?"

The Doctor shrugged and glanced at her, "Depends what you mean by 'people'," he replied evasively.

Rose frowned at him slightly, "I mean people," she stated like that should be obvious, before eyeing him, "What do you mean?"

"Aliens," the Doctor responded.

"What kind?" Poppy asked, eyeing him curiously, for that matter… just what kind of alien was he? She hadn't thought to ask. Had been a bit preoccupied by everything else that had been going on at the time.

"Oh, all sorts," the Doctor replied and glanced at her, taking in her curious look with a smile as they came up to a door.

"What are they doing on board this spaceship, though?" Rose questioned as the Doctor pointed his sonic at the control panel, "What's it all for?"

"It's not really a spaceship," the Doctor explained as he set about getting it open, sonic whirring, as he continued, "More like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."

The twins exchanged a somewhat disgruntled look, before the blond asked as they looked back at the Doctor who'd managed to unlock the door and was tucking away his sonic screwdriver, "What for?"

"Fun," the Doctor replied as he pulled the door open and the three stepped inside a large observation gallery, "Mind you, when I said the great and the good, what I mean, is the rich," he elaborated.

"Sounds about right," Poppy muttered, shaking her head as she grimaced.

"But, hold on," Rose frowned, "They did this once on 'News-Round Extra'. The sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years."

"Thousands," Poppy agreed and Rose gave a slight nod. Yeah, thousands. That was what she'd meant.

"Millions," the Doctor corrected lightly, "But the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved," he explained and the twins glanced at him brows raised in question, "See down there," he pointed out the window.

"Those tiny lights?" Poppy questioned as they peered out the window at the tiny glints of light that were orbiting the Earth. The Doctor nodded and made a sound of affirmation. She glanced at him curiously, "What are they?"

"Gravity satellites," the Doctor replied, glancing at her in return as he added, "They're holding back the sun."

"The planet looks the same as ever," Rose observed as she turned her gaze back to the planet that looked exactly like the one she saw in pictures back home and on the map full of pins hung on her sisters wall, "I thought continents shifted and things."

"Continental drift," Poppy nodded that was what her high school geography teacher had called it when she'd gone over that part of the course curriculum, her expression a bit thoughtful as she eyed the planet, "It's supposed to look…" she trailed, "Well," she shrugged slightly as she glanced at Rose and the Doctor, "Different…"

"Yep," the Doctor nodded, smiling as he glanced at Poppy, "They did. And it should," he agreed, "But the Trust shifted them back," he nodded at the Earth in orbit below them as his eyes returned to the planet, "That's a classic Earth."

Poppy frowned out the window her eyes going to the tiny glints of light orbiting the planet, "But, hold on… if this National Trust owns the planet and they've got those gravity satellites holding back the sun," she turned her eyes back to the Doctor who shifted his gaze to her again, "Why's the sun gonna expand at all?"

"The money's run out," the Doctor explained with a small shrug, "So now," he elaborated with a bit more enthusiasm, "Nature takes over!"

Rose swallowed her gaze going back to the Earth again, brown eyes sad as she regarded her home planet, "How long's it got?"

The Doctor glanced down at his watch again, "About half an hour," he replied, "And then the planet gets roasted."

"You look kinda…" Poppy paused, eyeing him a little dubiously as she tried to settle on a word, "Gleeful," she decided upon, yeah, that was it. He looked rather gleeful at the prospect, her brow furrowed slightly.

"Ah, yes well… natures a beautiful thi," the Doctor started, tugging at his ear a bit as he realised just how that might have seemed.

"Is that why we're here?" Rose asked, cutting in as she turned to him, her face alight with excitement once again as she looked at him eagerly, "I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?"

"I'm not saving it," the Doctor shook his head, eyeing his companions, as they both frowned at him now, "Time's up."

Rose stared at him completely aghast, whilst Poppy's gaze went back to the planet, eyes a bit troubled, "But what about the people?" Rose demanded.

"The planet would have been evacuated Ro-Ro," Poppy murmured turning her eyes from the planet, "Uh," her gaze settled on the Doctor suddenly a little uncertain… what if it hadn't? "It has been, right?"

"It's empty," the Doctor nodded, "Has been for years by this point. They're all gone," he assured them, and Poppy nodded relaxing again in relief as she turned to stare down at the planet again, "All left."

Rose turned back to the window, "Just us then, Pop," she murmured morosely as her hand slipped into her sisters, taking comfort from the familiar feel of her warm hand in her own, squeezing as her twin did.

The Doctor stared at them, eyeing their solemn expressions as they stared down at the Earth, and suddenly, his fantastic genius idea to take them here as their first trip didn't seem so clever anymore.

He'd just been so excited, caught up in the thrill of his new companions very first trip and he'd wanted to show off, to thoroughly impress them. And now… he swallowed as he continued to eye their faces. His eyes focusing on Poppy, who'd always wanted to travel and had been so curious and full of eager excitement earlier… and suddenly he was scared that they'd leave. That even Poppy who had such a burning desire to see the world… to see what was out there would choose to leave, to go back to saving money so that she could travel the planet below them back in the twenty-first century.

That he may just lose the both of them before they'd even really had the chance to get started… he flinched at the thought, swallowing heavily again. Even though, after everything he'd done… his eyes darkened as his thoughts did. He deserved nothing less… he was tired, though. Tired of being alone. Having Poppy and Rose chasing after him like they had. All curiosity and determination, it had made him realise just how tired of it he was… how lonely.

He tugged at his ear again. He didn't want either of them to leave. Poppy pulled her gaze from the planet and glanced at him and her solemn expression lightened as she offered him a small smile and he felt his fear that she'd leave dim as he returned her smile.

Poppy's eyes slid past him focusing on a door as it slid open and her eyes widened slightly as they landed on a blue man in a grey type of suit and wearing a cap on his head as he stepped through and paused, shocked, at the sight of them, before he started hurrying towards them, "Uh… incoming," she warned as the man frowned, evidently displeased.

"Who the hell are you?!" the steward demanded as the Doctor and Rose turned to look at her warning. The blonde's eyes widening in surprise and shock at the sight of the blue man that was all but stalking towards them.

"Oh! That's nice," the Doctor grumbled at the rather unpleasant greeting, "Thanks," he muttered as the Steward came to a stop before them.

"But how did you get in?" the Steward exclaimed with panicked alarm as he eyed the three standing in front of him, already trying to calculate all the damage control he'd have to do if three people had illicitly managed to get on board the Platform, "This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked! They're on their way any second now!"

"That's me, I'm a guest, look!" the Doctor reached inside one of his jacket pockets ignoring the surprised looks Poppy and Rose were giving him in response, "I've got an invitation," he assured as he pulled out a small black leather wallet, flipping it open and flashing it at the Steward, "Look, there you see? It's fine, see?" he continued as the Steward peered at it, "The Doctor plus two. I'm the Doctor, this is," he pointed at the ginger, "Poppy Tyler. She's my plus one. And this is Rose Tyler," he pointed to the blond, "She's my plus two. Is that alright?" he asked as the Steward continued to stare at the 'invitation'.

"Well…" the Steward slowly looked up from the wallet, a bit nonplussed, "Obviously," he stated still a little thrown before pulling himself together, whilst the Doctor grinned, "Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy," he bid them and upon receiving a nod from the Doctor turned and walked back over to his station.

Poppy tapped the Doctor lightly on the arm, staring at him all curiosity once more, "And, we were invited, when exactly?"

The Doctor grinned at her and Rose who'd pulled her gaze away from the blue alien man to look at the wallet curiously too, "The paper's slightly psychic," he murmured softly as he obligingly showed the twins the blank white paper inside the wallet, "It shows them whatever I want them to see," he explained.

"Handy," Poppy mused as she eyed the blank paper that had apparently acted as their invitation at the Doctor's behest. Whilst Rose, her curiosity about the paper sated found her gaze drawn back to the blue alien.

"It saves a lot of time," the Doctor nodded as he flipped the wallet closed and slid it back inside the depths of his pocket.

"He's blue," Rose breathed, her eyes still locked on the Steward.

The Doctor grinned amused as he glanced at her in response, eyeing her expression, "Yeah," he agreed.

"Ok…" Rose swallowed.

"You ok?" Poppy asked as she eyed her sister who still hadn't managed to tear her eyes away from the blue alien for more than a second.

Rose nodded, gaze flicking to her twin and then away again, before leaning in towards her, "He's blue, Poppy," she whispered.

Poppy leaned in towards her twin too, brown eyes a bit amused, "I know," she whispered back conspiratorially. Her own gaze settled on the man and she grinned, "It's brilliant!" she murmured brightly. And the Doctor glanced at her with another wide beaming grin whilst Rose glanced at her twin a little tentatively, not quite so sure how she felt, but upon seeing the enthusiastic look on the gingers face. Her lips twitched up into a small smile and she relaxed as she nodded. Yeah, it really kinda was.

"We have in attendance the Doctor, Poppy Tyler and Rose Tyler. Thank you!" the steward announced unaware or choosing to ignore the attention he'd unwittingly drawn, "All staff to their positions," he ordered with a clap of his hands and a lot of small blue aliens dressed in black scurried about to start attending to their duties, "Hurry now! Thank you, as quick as you can! Come along, come along!" he urged them a bit impatiently, before straightening slightly as he spoke into his microphone again, "And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest, representing the forest of Cheem, we have Trees. Namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa," he introduced as the doors opened and the three aforementioned Trees stepped out into the Manchester Suite of the observation deck, all dignified elegance.

"There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace," the Steward continued and Poppy bit her lower lip as she smiled her eyes following the Trees almost helplessly as they walked across the Suite. She looked past the Doctor to glance at her sister briefly who was standing on his other side and beamed an excited grin at her at seeing her twin's eyes also following the Trees her mouth a little slack, "If you can keep the room circulating, thank you," the Steward nodded, "Next," Poppy's eyes shot back to the door with anticipation, brown eyes bright with her enthusiasm, "From the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon," and the Doctor chuckled with amusement, grinning, as he glanced at Poppy and Rose taking in their expressions. Excitement on one and almost complete and utter bewilderment on the others as they stared at the small blue alien, the Moxx of Balhoon, as he glided in on a transport pod, "And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme," and a group of bipeds dressed in black robes, hoods obscuring their faces and a gold chain draped over their shoulders walked into a room and Rose felt herself relax slightly they at least looked normal-ish.

Whilst Poppy glanced from the black robed aliens to look at the Doctor returning his grin as he glanced at her in return, before her eyes once again shot to the doors as the Stewards voice came over the microphone again as he introduced the next guests.

"The inventors of Hypo-slip Travel Systems, the brothers Hop Plyeen. Thank you!" a couple of fur clad reptilians entered, "Cal 'Spark Plug'," the Steward announced and two more walked in these clad in long robes and domed hoods over their heads, "Mr and Mrs Pakoo," and two more aliens entered the Suite these ones dressed in black and with heads like birds. Rose swallowed and glanced at her sister to see her smiling a bit, her eyes focused with interest on the doorway and the aliens that were coming through it and she took in a low steadying breath and she turned her eyes back to the doorway as the Steward spoke again, announcing the next guests, "The Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light."

The trio's gaze shifted from the doorway that the almost Goblin-like aliens had just stepped through to focus on the three Trees that had been the first of the guests introduced approached them. The female Jabe flanked by her male escorts for the evening, Lute and Coffa. The two male Trees carrying trays filled with potted cuttings.

"The Gift of Peace," Jabe murmured as they came to a stop before them, taking a cutting from one of the trays, "I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather."

"Thank you!" the Doctor replied as he accepted the gift, immediately handing it to Rose who was standing on his right, "Yes, gifts… erm…" he floundered a bit, clearing his throat as he started to feel about his jacket pockets for something that he could give in return, only to come up empty, "I give you in return, air from my lungs," he replied, before he blew gently onto Jabe's face.

The beautiful Tree closing her eyes in response to the soft gust of air. She opened her eyes, "How…" she smiled softly, "Intimate."

"There's more where that came from," the Doctor responded flirtatiously.

"I bet there is…" Jabe flirted back, before she moved along.

Rose stared at the Doctor, her eyes wide and brows raised high on her forehead with her growing bewilderment and a little bit of disbelief… he'd just flirted with a tree! She glanced at her twin, and Poppy glanced at her. The two exchanging a look, before the ginger shrugged, lips twitching upwards as they glanced away again, their attention drawn back to the Steward.

"From the Silver Devastation," the Steward announced and Poppy's eyes shot to the doors again with anticipation, "The sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe," the doors opened again a huge head in an equally large glass case that only just fit through the double doors wheeled itself into the Suite and Poppy's eyes widened, her jaw dropping as she stared. Helpless to look away in her shock and awe.

She felt fingers under her chin, gently pushing her chin up, closing her mouth for her and she glanced to the hands owner, her eyes meeting the Doctor's, "You'll catch flies," he chided with amusement.

"Sorry…" Poppy muttered, her gaze drifting back to the large head in the large glass case, "Just…" she glanced back at the Doctor, "Wow," she breathed, her teeth sinking into her lower lip as she smiled a touch sheepishly.

The Doctor grinned back chuckling, before his attention was drawn away as another being approached, gliding over to the three of them on his transport pod, "The Moxx of Balhoon," he greeted.

"My felicitations on this historical happenstance," the Moxx of Balhoon replied, "I give to you the gift of bodily saliva," he stated before he spit with accuracy. The projectile hitting Rose right in her left eye, making her jerk in surprise and disgust.

The Doctor laughed, whilst Poppy stared, brows raised, eyes darting to her twin and a low snigger escaped her at the blonde's expression, "Thank you very much," the Doctor continued to chuckle whilst Rose wiped the spit from her eye with a grimace as the Moxx of Bahloon glided away on his pod.

"Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme," the Doctor greeted as the group approached, "I bring you air from my lungs," he breathed heavily over them.

"A gift of peace in good faith," one of the Adherents spoke, his voice grave as he lifted an arm, a metallic hand holding out a large silver egg.

The Doctor took the proffered egg and tossed it into the air, catching it, before he passed it over to Poppy who turned it over in her hands, rolling it between her hands as she eyed the orb with curiosity, before her gaze was drawn back to the Steward as his voice came over the microphone again.

"And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and Trees and Multiforms. Consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth The Last Human," the Doctor glanced at his human companions his eyes going from one to the other as the doors swung open to take in their initial reactions and grinned at the absolute shock and disbelief that crossed their faces as a metal rectangular frame wheeled in, a thin layer of skin stretched across it, red veins visible through it and a feminine face situated in the middle. Two men, dressed head to toe in hospital whites accompanying her into the Suite.

"That's the Last Human…?" Poppy muttered dubiously, eyeing the skin, her brow furrowed with disquiet.

"No," Rose shook her head, glancing at her twin, "No way!" she swallowed heavily as she eyed The Last Human again, "That's a… a bit of skin!"

The Doctor sniggered at the pair of them quietly, shoulders shaking slightly, not the least bit disappointed in their reactions.

"The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen," the Steward finished his introduction of The Last Human.

"Oh, now, don't stare," Cassandra simpered, "I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am!" the Doctor laughed silently, but heartily as he glanced at his companions again as they stared, the both of them looking completely flabbergasted before he turned his eyes back to Cassandra as she continued, "Thin and dainty! I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me, moisturize me," she demanded of her attendants and one of them obligingly sprayed a light mist from his canister onto her face, "Truly, I am The Last Human," Rose started to creep forward for a better look, "My father was a Texan. My mother was from the Artic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil."

Poppy shook her head slightly as she watched her twin circle about the back of Cassandra, looking at her from all angles.

Rose looked up, wide eyes going to her twin, 'She's completely flat!' she mouthed at her with disbelief and Poppy nodded a bit, grimacing slightly as her eyes drifted back to the skin stretched across the frame like a trampoline. Yeah, she could see that…

The Doctor catching the exchange continued to laugh silently, grinning with growing amusement as he eyed the pair.

"I have come to honour them and…" Cassandra sniffed, "Say goodbye. Oh, no tears," and one of her attendants wiped her eyes for her, "No tears. I'm sorry. But behold! I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says," Cassandra continued as one of the small blue members of the staff came in carrying the egg, displaying it to the room, "It had a wingspan of 50 feet and blew fire from its nostrils."

"Uh, what?" Poppy muttered confused, that sounded nothing like an ostrich. She heard a snigger and glanced at the Doctor to see him shamelessly laughing at her and Rose, "Or was that my third husband? Who knows!" Cassandra jested as the Doctor met Poppy's gaze and grinned before sniggering again in amusement. Poppy rolled her eyes, whilst Rose did much the same though in response to Cassandra's jesting, "Oh, don't laugh," Cassandra pleaded merrily, "I'll get laughter lines!" she chuckled at herself, before mumbling to herself for a few seconds before her attention was diverted as her second gift was wheeled into the Suite, "And here, another rarity," she informed them, "According to the archives, this was called an ipod," Poppy rubbed her fingers against her forehead, eyes flicking to the Jukebox, brows quirking whilst Rose who was standing beside the Jukebox stared at Cassandra with incredulity, "It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!"

One of the little blue attendants pressed one of the buttons on the Jukebox and a record fell into place before the strains of Tainted Love by Soft Cell started playing, and the Doctor started bopping appreciatively to the beat. Whilst Poppy's eyes found her twin again, her expression turning concerned as she saw her glancing about the Suite at the aliens all around them, a lost expression on her face.

"Refreshments will now be served," the Steward announced over the music, "Earth Death in 30 minutes."

"Oh dear…" Poppy murmured with concern for her twin and moved to start across the Suite towards her.

"Oh, dear, what?" the Doctor asked, pausing in his bopping as he glanced at the ginger standing beside him again. He got his answer in the next instant as Rose suddenly turned on her heel and dashed from the room, swiftly disappearing out the doors as she ran down the corridor. Poppy immediately ran after her. The Doctor moved to follow only to be brought up short after only a couple of steps by the approaching Jabe.

"Doctor?" she called a device clasped between her hands. He paused and turned to look at her in silent question as Poppy disappeared through the doors not having paused to even look at who had called him, the ginger focused on finding her sister. Jabe raised the device in her hands, a flash going off as it snapped a picture, "Thank you," she murmured and stared after the Doctor a moment as he proceeded on before she turned her eyes going to the rectangular device in her hands. Whilst a short distance away the Adherents of the Repeated Meme approached the Steward as he looked through the events itinerary.

"A gift of peace in all good faith," one of them spoke, extending a metallic hand towards the Steward as he turned to see the round silver egg being offered to him.

"No," the Steward shook his head, "You're very kind," he assured trying to politely decline, "But I'm just the Steward."

"A gift of peace in all good faith," the Ardent repeated, not lowering its arm.

"Oh, yes," the Steward murmured a bit perplexed but unwilling to upset a guest, "Thank you," he took the egg, "Of course."

Jabe came to a stop as her small computer device twittered at her, "Identify species," she tried again, "Please identify species," she insisted only for it to twitter at her again and she frowned, "Now stop it," she told it, "Identify his race. Where's he from?" she stared waiting as her computer reluctantly brought up the information and her eyes widened in stunned disbelief, "It's impossible," she breathed, before she looked up clutching her computer device and started walking again. Her steps hurried as one of the silver metal eggs that had been placed on a display shelf for safe keeping twitched slightly, before a previously invisible seam spilt open and a silver metal robotic spider with a red eye climbed out, glancing about, orientating itself, before scurrying away before any of the guests in the Suite could spot it.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy hurried down the corridor, popping her head into a room before ducking out of it again at seeing it empty, "Come on Ro-Ro!" she muttered with concern as she continued on, quickly poking her head into another room, eyes scanning it for her fraternal twin before swiftly ducking out again and hurrying on along the corridor once more, "Where are you?"

 ***O*O*O***

Rose stood at a tall rectangular window staring out it at the growing fiery sun. She heard steps behind her and she turned her head expecting it to be Poppy only to start slightly as her eyes landed on a blue skinned female alien in overalls and a baseball cap as she came into the room, "Sorry," Rose took a breath as she turned away from the window completely to face the alien that appeared to be the same race as the Steward. The woman stopping at being spoken too, "Am I allowed to be in here?"

The female alien glanced around the room a bit uneasily, checking to see if they were alone, before looking back at the blond who was staring at her quizzically at the behaviour, "You have to give us permission to talk."

Rose blinked baffled, "Uh…" she began a bit uncertainly, "You… have permission."

"Thank you!" the member of staff beamed a sunny grin, "And, no. You're not in the way," she answered the blonde's question, "Guest are allowed anywhere."

"Ok," Rose murmured watching as the other woman moved over to a wall panel and punched in a code, unlocking it. Rose swallowed and ventured a question as she continued to eye the woman curiously, "What's your name?"

"Raffalo," the woman supplied.

"Raffalo?" Rose repeated, checking that she'd heard right.

"Yes, miss," Raffalo confirmed glancing over at her with another friendly smile, "I won't be long, I've just got to carry out some maintenance," she explained, kneeling in front of the air vent that she needed to get into, "There's a tiny little glitch in the Face of Boe's suite. There must be something blocking the system. He's not getting any hot water."

"So, you're a plumber?" Rose asked a little surprised.

"That's right, miss," Raffalo nodded.

"They still have plumbers?" Rose mused.

"I hope so!" Raffalo exclaimed, grinning at the rather friendly guest, "Else I'm out of a job."

Rose laughed lightly, "My sister would like you," she murmured.

"You're sister, miss?" Raffalo blinked at her.

Rose nodded, smiling, "Yeah, she tinkers around a lot with things back home," she explained, "Fixing things and the like… probably be pestering you about how the plumbing of…" she trailed a bit awkwardly realising what she'd been about to say. "Uh…" Rose mumbled mentally scrambling for something to say as Raffalo peered at her curiously, she posed the first question that came to mind, "Where are you from?"

"Crespallion," Raffalo replied.

"That's a planet, is it?" Rose guessed.

"No," Raffalo smiled, "Crespallion's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Convex 56," she explained, "And where are you from, miss?" she questioned just as curiously as Rose had, before she suddenly remembered herself and hurriedly tacked on, "If you don't mind me asking."

"No, not at all," Rose assured her, "Erm…" she trailed, floundering slightly, "I dunno, a long way away. I just sort of hitched a lift with this man… me and my sister…" Rose frowned slightly brown eyes growing troubled again, "I don't even know who he is…" neither did Poppy and they'd both just… "He's a complete stranger…" she swallowed again and her eyes focused on Raffalo again to see her looking at her with worry, "Anyway," Rose tried to smile, "Don't let me keep you," she murmured cheerily and started from the room, "Good luck with it."

"Thank you, miss. And…" Raffalo called after her making Rose pause and look back at her with a bit of confusion, "Thank you. For the permission," she explained, "Not many people are that considerate."

"Ok," Rose nodded, "See you later," she murmured, before turning and starting from the room again as Raffalo turned back to the air vent.

Rose had barely stepped foot out of the room when her eyes landed on her twin coming towards her, a look of relief crossing the gingers face as she quickened her pace along the corridor, "Hey Ro-Ro…" Poppy murmured softly as she caught up with Rose, falling into step with her as the blond continued along the corridor.

"They need permission to speak!" Rose blurted.

"What?" Poppy blinked with a confused frown.

"The blue people, some of them need permission to be able to speak!" Rose elaborated, "It's mental!"

Poppy gave a slow nod, still eyeing her twin with concern, "Yeah that is a bit…" she murmured, trailing, a bit disquieted by that, "Still…" she murmured a bit brighter trying to cheer her twin up a bit seeing the unease in her twins face, "With a year like 5.5/apple/26, this place is bound to be a bit mental!" she smiled as Rose's lips twitched upwards a bit.

"I s'pose," the blond conceded, before looking away again. Her thoughts drifting back to the Doctor and just who the hell it was they'd run off with.

Poppy eyed her sister again before throwing an arm over her shoulders, "So, wanna head back to the Suite?"

"No," Rose replied quickly, too quickly, "Not yet…" she trailed lamely. Poppy nodded and squeezed her sister's shoulders comfortingly, before slipping her arm from the position that put her arm at a slightly awkward angle to link their arms instead. She'd thought as much.

 ***O*O*O***

"Now then," Raffalo murmured as she peered into the vent, "Control," she spoke into a small comm attached to her collar, "I'm at Junction 19 and I think the problem's coming from in here. I'll go inside and have a look," she paused as a small tapping sound of metal against metal came from deeper inside the vent, "What's that?" she frowned, "Is something in there?" she called into the vent. A moment later Raffalo blinked as a small metal robotic spider with a red eye appeared at the end of the shaft.

"Oh!" she exclaimed with surprise her expression lightening at the tiny thing, "Who are you, then?" she asked it only for it to turn and scuttle away as if scared, "Hold on!" she called after it, "I…" she started shifting into the vent, "If you're an upgrade I just need to register you, that's all!" she tried to assure it as she manoeuvred herself along the shaft, "Oh, come back," she pleaded a second before a red light illuminated her face, "Ah," she beamed as the little spider came back into sight, "There you are. Now, I just need to register your ident," she paused as a second spider joined the first, "Oh, there's two of you! Got yourself a little mate," she giggled, "I think I better report this to Control," she mused eyeing them as a third and then a forth joined the first two and she paused suddenly a bit concerned, "What are you?" more metal spiders scurried up, "Oh, no. No. Nooooo!" she screamed as she was dragged head first along the vent.

 ***O*O*O***

In another corridor the Doctor glanced into a room as he wandered past it, his brow slightly furrowed with concern as he searched for his missing companions. It had barely been five minutes, if that, since they'd arrived and already they'd both managed to wander off on him… well run off. He sighed, glancing into another room as he passed it. He hadn't been that far behind Poppy and yet she'd managed to disappear on him too. He grumbled under his breath as he continued to search for them, rounding a bend in the corridor, eyes scanning over the walls. Just where had they wandered off to…

"Would the owner of the blue box," the Doctor paused in his stride at that, "In private gallery 15 please report to the Steward's office immediately," the announcement over the loudspeakers continued, "Guests are reminded that use of teleportation devices is strictly forbidden under Peace Treaty 5.4/cup/16. Thank you."

The Doctor sighed, grimacing slightly as he tugged at his ear, he glanced the way he had been going, before he changed directions, making his way towards the Steward's office instead, needing to see to his ship before the staff got hands-y with her. He tugged at his ear again, brow still slightly furrowed, Poppy and Rose would be alright for a bit longer and it was possible that he would manage to bump into them on his way…

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy sat with her twin at the top of a set of steps in the room they'd ended up wandering into, rolling the silver egg from one hand to the other as she stared in the direction of the large viewing window at the other end of the room, staring at the view of the Earth and the slowly growing, raging sun it gave them.

Rose set the little potted cutting that she'd been absently holding between her hands down and glanced at her twin, eyes going to the ball she was rolling idly between her hands, "Can I have a look?" she asked holding a hand out expectantly already knowing that Poppy wouldn't deny her request.

"Sure," Poppy nodded and tossed the silver metal egg up in the air so that it arched towards her twin.

The blond neatly caught it and looked it over, turning it about for a brief moment before she tossed it into the air to catch it again.

"Earth Death in 25 minutes," the computerised voice announced as Rose tossed the egg up into the air again, "Earth Death in 25 minutes."

"Oh, thanks," Rose grimaced at the reminder as she caught the egg again and set it down no longer interested in playing with it. She glanced over at her twin who had picked up the little potted cutting and was looking at it with curiosity and interest. Her brow furrowed as she eyed Poppy, "You don't seem all that effected," she grumbled as the metal egg that she'd set down twitched before a metal spider broke free of it, glancing about. Whilst Poppy set down the cutting as she focused her gaze on her sister…

 ***O*O*O***

"Oi, now," the Doctor harrumphed, frowning a bit as he watched a group of the little blue members of staff wheel his Tardis away, "Careful with that. Park it properly. No scratches," he warned. If he saw one scratch on her… the rather irked thought at having to witness his Tardis being manhandled broke off as one of the little blue people turned to him. It gave a little squeak as it handed a little ticket over to him.

The Doctor glanced down at it, 'Have A Nice Day' he looked up staring after the little blue staff member with incredulity, before he blinked, "Oi! Hold on a minute," he called after them and the little member of staff turned back to him, "You haven't happened to see my companions, have you?" he questioned a bit hopefully, "Pinkish skin," he started to describe, "One's a ginger with a white streak at the front wearing a yellow shirt, denim jacket. The other's a blond in a grey shirt and a sort of grey purple jacket. Both in jeans…" the staff member stared up at him and then gave a series of squeaks. The Doctor beamed a grin, "Thank you very much!" he said cheerily before he turned and started away.

A few metal spiders scurried quietly up the wall behind him whilst others scurried along through the air vents…

 ***O*O*O***

"It's not like I don't feel it, Ro-Ro," Poppy sighed as she glanced from her twin to look out the window again, "I just… I've just always wanted to see things," she looked back at her twin, "You know that."

Rose gave a reluctant nod, brow still furrowed slightly as she stared down at her knees, whilst unobserved the metal robotic spider scanned her hand, "I know," she mumbled, swallowing heavily as she gave another nod.

"And in the past… God… has it really only been just over 5 minutes…" Poppy smiled shaking her head in a bit of astounded disbelief it felt so much longer than that! "We've seen things that I never thought I could ever possibly get to see," she murmured with awe as Rose looked back at her again, eyeing her sisters glowing expression as she continued, "I thought I'd be seeing the Northern Lights when I went travelling or, the Twelve Apostles. Well… what's left of them anyway," she added, "The Great Ocean Road, the Pyramids, the Great Barrier Reef," she listed only some of the many places that she hoped to see one day, "And yet here I am… we are… somewhere above the Earth. And Aliens!" she exclaimed, grinning as she turned back to her sister, "Did you see me gaping like a ninny at the Face of Boe?" she asked, with a small laugh at herself.

Rose shook her head, she'd been too busy staring at the giant head in the glass case and every other alien in that room herself to have taken any notice of that, "Yeah…" she muttered her eyes going out the window to the Earth, "Here we are… five billion years in the future..." her eyes grew more troubled again, "With a man we don't know anything about…"

Poppy rubbed at her forehead as she eyed her sister a little helplessly, "I suppose we don't…" she murmured softly as the still unnoticed little metal spider glanced about again, it's single red eye going to Poppy and it scuttled over, and started to scan her hand.

Rose's eyes shot to her, "Well…" she frowned at her twin again, "Doesn't that bother you?" she demanded.

Poppy sighed out a low breath as she eyed her twin's somewhat agitated expression, "A little," she admitted her eyes going to the window to the view of the Earth, "But…" she sighed out another breath as she took in the wondrous view, that he'd taken them to see, "He doesn't know anything about us either Ro-Ro."

"But…" Rose frowned.

"But, what?" Poppy challenged as she turned her eyes back to her twin, her brows raised, "We just met him. It's normal for us not to know each other…" Rose continued to frown unhappily, "We're acquaintances that chose to trust each other. Getting to know each other…" Poppy shrugged, "That takes time."

Rose blew out a breath and nodded conceding to her twin's logic, "I just… want some answers that all," she grumbled.

"Poppy? Rose?" they heard the Doctor call and they whipped their heads around, a bit startled, to look at the doorway as the spider scuttled away in a hurry, "Are you two in there?" he entered and grinned at them, "Aye, aye!" he paused taking in their wide-eyed almost guilty expressions, "Do I want to know?"

"No…" Poppy replied and then as he continued to peer at them a bit suspiciously, "Sister stuff," she elaborated with a casual shrug. It wasn't a lie, not really. They were two sisters having a conversation which had just happened to be about him… hopefully however, he hadn't caught any of it… just how loud had they been talking…?

"Right," the Doctor nodded, still eyeing them as he started forward again, "Yep. Don't wanna know," he muttered.

"Wise man," Poppy commented with a small smirk.

"What do you think, then?" the Doctor questioned as he settled himself down on the stairs with them, focusing his eyes on them once more, looking from one to the other expectantly.

"Brilliant!" Poppy grinned at him and got a wide grin back.

"Great!" Rose nodded trying for her enthusiasm, "Yeah… fine," she continued floundering as everything that was bothering her clawed at her persistently, "Once you get past the slightly psychic paper…" she trailed off again as the Doctor laughed.

"They're just so alien," Rose continued after a short moment of silence and the Doctor looked at her questioningly, "The aliens are just so alien," she elaborated with a small frown, "You look at 'em and they're alien."

"Eloquent," Poppy teased and Rose mock scowled at her.

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South," the Doctor commented with amusement.

"Why?' Poppy questioned as she eyed him with interested curiosity, "What's it like in the Deep South?"

"The aliens are even more alien," the Doctor jested with a wide grin that Poppy found herself returning.

Rose eyed him intently, her eyes slightly narrowed, "Where are you from?" she asked drawing his gaze back to her.

The Doctor shrugged with as much nonchalance as he could muster at the question, "All over the place," he replied evasively and turned his eyes away again to look out the window at the Earth, hoping that she wouldn't press further. He didn't want to think about his home. Let alone try to talk about it.

"Right," Poppy murmured as she eyed his closed off expression, "You did say that you had a hard time staying in one place."

The Doctor glanced at her his expression lightening a bit, "Yep," he smiled, "That's me. Always on the move!"

Rose stared at them a moment, her brow slightly furrowed before she turned her gaze out the window, teeth abusing her lower lip for a moment, her mind still churning over her questions how much both she and her sister didn't know about the alien man sitting on the stairs with them, "They all speak English," she commented after a moment.

"No, you just hear English," the Doctor corrected brightly, "It's a gift of the Tardis," he informed them, "Telepathic field, gets inside your brain, translates," he explained.

"Telepathic field?" Poppy murmured, her brow slightly furrowed, before her eyes widened with a startling realisation and she turned her head to look at the Doctor, "As in…" she swallowed, "It, she's alive?"

"Yep," the Doctor grinned at the shifting expressions on the ginger's face, going from shock to awe to excitement, "The Tardis is a sentient ship," he explained, "The best in the universe!"

"It's inside our brains?" Rose questioned, frowning disquietedly at the thought of something getting inside her head, essentially messing with it without permission.

"Well, in a good way," the Doctor replied as he turned his gaze back to the blond as she narrowed her brown eyes on him, her body tense as she all but glowered at him.

"Your machine gets inside our heads," Rose began her tone growing colder as her outrage simmered to a boil at his almost flippant response, "It gets inside and it changes our minds, and you didn't even ask?"

"I didn't think about it like that," the Doctor muttered, scratching at his ear, a bit thrown by the blonde's response to something he considered completely normal.

"No!" Rose exclaimed angrily, bristling, "You were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South!" she spat, "Who are you, then, Doctor?" she demanded, "What are you called? What sort of alien are you?!"

"Ro-Ro…" Poppy tried as she frowned at her sister.

"No!" Rose turned her angry eyes on her sister, "Don't you Ro-Ro me, Pop! He brought us here! I think he can answer some questions!" she turned her glower back to the Doctor who was frowning at her, his lips pursed, "So?!"

"I'm just the Doctor," he insisted.

"From what planet?" Rose persisted with increasing annoyance at his lack of cooperation.

"Well, it's not as if you'll know where it is!" the Doctor exclaimed defensively, whilst Poppy looked from one to the other and back again.

"Where are you from?!" Rose shouted.

"Rose!" Poppy tried, frowning at her sister still only to be ignored by the pair on either side of her as they glowered at each other.

"What does it matter?" the Doctor gritted out from between clenched teeth, his own growing annoyance simmering into anger.

"Tell us who you are!" Rose shouted again.

"Do you mind not including me..." Poppy huffed at her sister, growing a bit irritated, only to get spoken over as the Doctor all but growled back at Rose.

"This is who I am, right here, right now, alright?!" the Doctor glared at Rose. His hands clenching into tight fists, "All that counts is here and now, and this is me!"

"Yeah," Rose shouted back, "And we're here too because you brought us here," she huffed, glowering, "So just tell us!"

"I said," Poppy glowered at her sister as the Doctor abruptly stood and walked away from them towards the window, "Don't include me!"

"Earth Death in 20 minutes," the computer announced as Rose turned to her sister a bit startled, "Earth Death in 20 minutes."

Poppy sighed and shook her head at her twin, "What were you thinking?"

Rose frowned, "I just wanted…"

"I know what you wanted," Poppy muttered, "And I get it, but…" she gave her sister a rather pointed look, "When was the last time you got anything other than a smacked bum when you went about shouting and demanding things like you were entitled to 'em?" Rose grimaced, her shoulders slumping dejectedly and Poppy nodded, "Exactly."

Rose took a steadying breath as her twin stood and started towards the window the Doctor was standing in front of, looking out it, before she got to her feet, falling into step with her twin, "Alright…" she murmured as they approached, trailing slightly as she wondered just what she could say to at least attempt to make this better, "As my mate Shareen says… don't argue with the designated driver…"

"Mm-mm," Poppy nodded, "They can to leave you stranded," she commented as the Doctor smiled, his back still to the both of them.

"And," Rose got out her mobile out of her pocket, "Can't exactly call for a taxi," she lifted her phone towards the ceiling, testing, "We're out of range. Just a bit!"

The Doctor turned to them, still smiling, "Tell you what…" he took Rose's phone from her and immediately started fiddling with it.

"What are you doing?" Poppy asked curiously, doing her best to peer down at what he was doing without getting in the way.

"A bit of jiggery pokery," the Doctor replied glancing up at her briefly, with a smile.

"Is that a technical term, 'jiggery pokery'?" Rose asked as she too looked at what he was doing with interest.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, still fiddling with Rose's phone, "I came first in jiggery pokery," he glanced up at them, "What about you two?"

"I haven't quite gotten to jiggery pokery yet," Poppy grinned tongue between her teeth, "I'm still stuck on thingamabob!"

Rose shook her head, "I failed hullabaloo," she smiled.

"Oooh," the Doctor murmured as he slotted a new battery into the phone and closed it back up, "There you go," he handed it back to Rose before focusing on Poppy and held out his hand expectantly.

"Ooh! Thanks!" Poppy dug her phone out of her jeans pocket and handed it over before her eyes went to Rose as she dialled a number. Whilst the Doctor went about taking Poppy's phone a part to work his 'jiggery pokery'.

"Mum?" Rose spoke into it and Poppy's eyes widened and she stepped closer Rose obligingly holding the phone up between them so they could both easily hear their mum on the other end as she replied.

"Oh, what is it?"

Poppy arched a brow, "Hello to you too, mum."

"Alright," Jackie sighed, "What have I done now?" she huffed and Poppy and Rose exchanged a look, "Oh, this red top's falling to bits," she muttered, "You should get your money back, Rose," she advised, "Go on, then," she continued, "There must be something, you two never phone in the middle of the day."

Poppy blinked, "I'm suddenly feeling like a horrible daughter…"

"Well… you said it. Not me…" Jackie trailed as Rose started laughing, and she sighed honestly her children, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing!" Rose replied, "You alright, though?"

"Yeah," Jackie replied before continuing a little confused, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You haven't broken anything else, have you?" Poppy asked and Rose sniggered under her breath as Jackie huffed.

"I didn't break anything last time! The toaster broke on its own!"

"That's what you said about the video recorder…" Poppy teased with a smile, "And that time with the telly…"

"The telly was Mickey's doing!" Jackie cried through the phone, "He even said so!" and then huffed as her children laughed again. Whilst the Doctor grinned quietly sniggering as he finished slotting the new battery into the back of Poppy's phone and closed it back up.

"What day is it?" Rose asked as their laughter tampered off.

"Wednesday. All day," Jackie replied, "You got a hangover? Oh, I tell you what, put a quid in that Lottery syndicate. I'll pay you back later."

"Yeah, um," Rose floundered a little glancing at her twin, "We were just calling 'cos we might be late home…"

"Is something wrong?" Jackie asked, suddenly concerned.

"No! We're fine!" Rose assured.

"Absolutely fine, mum!" Poppy agreed.

"Top of the world!" Rose exclaimed and the Doctor laughed as the blond lowered the phone as Jackie hung up and put her phone down.

"Think that's amazing," the Doctor grinned as he handed Poppy back her phone, "You want to see the bill."

"That was five billion years ago. So… she's dead now," Rose murmured and Poppy's expression fell as she turned her phone over in her hands before stuffing it back into her pocket, "Five billion years later, our mum's dead."

"Bundle of laughs, you are," the Doctor muttered dryly just as the ship shuddered beneath their feet, "That's not supposed to happen…" he told them rather pleased and curious as he started for the door. Poppy and Rose moving after him, following him out of the room and back out into the corridor beyond.

 ***O*O*O***

"Well, what was it?" the Steward asked Control with irritation, "I'm just getting green lights at this end," he stated before he shifted in his office chair slightly and pressed a button for the loudspeaker, "Honoured guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence," he announced calmly, "Thank you," he pressed the button again, "The whole place shook," he grumbled at Control again, "I felt it!" he exclaimed with annoyance, "I've hosted all sorts of events on Platforms One, Three, Six and Fifteen and I've never felt the slightest tremor. I warn you, if this lot decide to sue… I'm going to scan the infrastructure," he decided and pressed a few buttons, before he frowned, "What's that?"

The robotic spider that had broken free of the egg that was sitting forgotten on the Steward's desk scuttled down the wall behind him.

"Control," the Steward spoke again, "I don't want to worry you, but I'm picking up readings…" the computer beeped, "I have no idea! Well… they're small. The scan says they're metal…" the computer beeped again and the Steward frowned frustrated, "I don't know what they look like!" he exclaimed only to pause as movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and his gaze went to his desk landing on the small robotic spider with a single red eye as it puttered around on his desk by a mug, "Although, I imagine they might look rather like that…" he muttered, "You're not on the guest list…" the Steward told the spider, "How did you get on board…?"

The spider stared at him almost mockingly, before it lifted a single thin metal leg and brought it down on a yellow button on the control panel.

"No," the Steward breathed, eyes wide.

"Sun filter deactivated," the female computerised voice announced.

"No!" the Steward cried with alarm.

"Sun filter descending," and the room started to fill with light from the ceiling as the filter on the windows truly did start to descend.

"No!" the Steward shouted frantically, "Sun filter up!" he commanded fumbling with buttons on his control panel frantically, "No, no, no!"

"External temperature four thousand degrees."

"Control, respond!" the Steward continued to try, "Sun filter up!" he shouted.

"Sun filter descending," the computerised voice announced again as the Steward was engulfed in the suns bright light and he screamed. Whilst the spider escaped, scurrying out of the office through the air vent.

 ***O*O*O***

"Indubitably," the Moxx of Balhoon was saying to the Face of Boe as the Doctor, Poppy and Rose walked back into the Manchester Suite, "This is the Bad Wolf scenario. I find the inherent laxity of the on-going multiverse…"

"That wasn't a gravity pocket," the Doctor murmured to Poppy and Rose as he started fiddling with a control panel next to the door, "I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that," he stated as Jabe who'd noticed them re-enter approached them, his eyes flicking to her briefly, "What do you think, Jabe?" he questioned, "Listened to the engines? They've pitched up about 30 hertz, is that dodgy or what?"

"It's the sound of metal," Jabe replied with a light shrug, eyeing him, "It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Where's the engine room?" the Doctor questioned.

"I don't know… but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite," Jabe informed him, "I could show you. And…" she gestured at Poppy and Rose, "You're wives."

"They're not my wives," the Doctor replied.

"Partners?" Jabe questioned.

"No."

"Concubines?" Jabe tried again and the twin's brows shot up with the beginnings of incredulous disgruntlement.

"Nope," the Doctor grinned.

Jabe glanced at the two of them, "Prostitutes?"

"Excuse me?!" Poppy huffed with incredulity, rather offended now.

"Whatever we are, it must be invisible, Pop," Rose huffed to her twin, "Do you mind?" she huffed at Jabe, glowering at the pretty Tree that had the grace to look a little guilty for having caused the two women offence.

Rose shook her head, "Tell you what, you guys go on," she huffed, "I'm going to catch up with family."

Poppy arched a brow at her twin, lips quirking up at her, "I thought that was me."

Rose rolled her eyes, before jerking her thumb over her shoulder, "Quick word with Michael Jackson."

Poppy flicked her gaze in the direction her twin had indicated her eyes landing on Cassandra, her nose scrunched slightly, "Oh," she turned her eyes back to her twin, "Have fun."

"Don't start a fight," the Doctor called after Rose as she started walking across the Suite towards the Last Human, before he turned his eyes to Poppy, "You coming?"

"Yeah," Poppy nodded, her eyes flicked briefly to Jabe as she took the Doctor's right arm as he proffered it to her.

"Off we go then," the Doctor smiled as Jabe accepted his left.

Rose turned back around and jabbed a finger through the air at the Doctor, "And I want my sister home by midnight!" the Doctor grinned back at her whilst Poppy shook her head and rolled her eyes at her twin as the three of them headed back out the door.

"Earth Death in 15 minutes," the computer announced as Rose stared after them until they disappeared from view, "Earth Death in 15 minutes."

 ***O*O*O***

"Forgive me," Jabe murmured as she and Poppy stood together behind the Doctor as he worked to get the door to the maintenance duct open, drawing the ginger's eyes to her, "I didn't mean to cause you or your sister offense earlier."

Poppy arched a brow, eyeing the tall elegant Tree a bit sceptically as the Doctor's sonic whirred quietly, "You didn't?"

"No," Jabe assured as the Doctor got the door open, "It would be against the Forest of Cheem's interest for any of its representatives to cause offence to any alien culture unintentionally or otherwise."

Poppy blinked at that, following the Doctor into the narrow duct. She hadn't really thought about it earlier, but she supposed she was the alien from Jabe's perspective, "Well," she glanced over her shoulder at the Tree with a small smile, "Alright, then," she nodded, her eyes roving over the swags of wiring and piping that was lining the walls of the duct with interest as they fell silent, moving only a couple of steps further before the Doctor broke the silence.

"Who's in charge of Platform One?" he asked, calling over his shoulder to Jabe, "Is there a Captain or what?"

"There's just the Steward and the staff," Jabe replied, before adding, "All the rest is controlled by the metal mind."

"You mean the computer?" the Doctor nodded, "But who controls that?" he pressed.

"The Corporation," Jabe explained as they continued on down the duct, "They move Platform One from one artistic event to another."

There was a brief silence as the Doctor considered this, "But there's no one from the Corporation on board?" he checked.

"They're not needed," Jabe replied, "This is purely automatic."

Poppy blinked at that, "That's either brilliant or terrifying… perhaps both," she muttered musingly as she swept her eyes over the wiring and pipes again.

"It's the height of Alpha class," Jabe informed her, "Nothing can go wrong," she assured.

"Unsinkable?" the Doctor questioned with a bit of a wry smirk.

"If you like," Jabe nodded, "The nautical metaphor is appropriate."

"Famous last words," Poppy muttered with a shake of her head.

"You're telling me," the Doctor grinned, "I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable… I ended up clinging to an iceberg, it wasn't half cold," he heard a low amused snigger and he glanced back his eyes landing on Poppy as she giggled with obvious amusement. And he arched a brow, "Find that funny do you?"

Poppy looked up and met his eyes with a tongue in teeth grin, "A bit, yeah!" she agreed with another low chuckle.

The Doctor grinned back at her, before he paused in his stride as he turned his attention back to Jabe and the matter at hand, "So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble there's no one to help us out?"

"I'm afraid not," Jabe confirmed.

"Fantastic," the Doctor grinned, before he turned away and continued on down the duct as Jabe and Poppy stared after him.

"I don't understand," Jabe began perplexed as she and Poppy moved after him, "In what way is that fantastic?"

Poppy shook her head, eyeing the Doctor's back, her brows quirked, as she walked only a step or two behind him as the three of them continued on down the duct, "You're a bit strange, you know that?"

The Doctor nodded, grinning as he glanced back at her again, "I've been told," he replied and Poppy rolled her eyes smirking a bit in amusement as behind them one of the robotic metal spiders that had scurried out of view a mere second before they'd entered crept out of its hiding place amongst the pipes and wires.

 ***O*O*O***

"Soon," Cassandra told Rose as the blond stood with her. The pair of them staring out one of the windows at the sun and the Earth, "The sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die. That's where I used to live, when I was a little girl, down there. Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice," she let out a low sigh that was almost wistful, "I had such fun."

"What happened to everyone else?" Rose asked into the beat of silence that followed, tearing her eyes from the view to look at Cassandra, "The Human Race, where did it go?"

"They say mankind has touched every star in the sky," Cassandra replied.

"So," Rose frowned and turned from the window completely to face Cassandra, "You're not the last human."

"I'm the last pure human," Cassandra retorted, "The others…" she sniffed with disgust, "Mingled. Oh, they call themselves 'New Humans' and 'Proto-Humans' and 'Digi-Humans' even 'Human-ish', but you know what I call them?" she asked and Rose arched a brow at her, "Mongrels," Cassandra whispered with disgust.

"Right," Rose muttered, eyeing the stretched out piece of skin that was Cassandra dubiously, "And you stayed behind."

"I kept myself pure," Cassandra stated.

"How many operations have you had?" Rose asked, eyeing the stretched out thin layer of skin up and down.

"708," Cassandra responded proudly, "Next week, it's 709. I'm having my blood bleached," she eyed the blond she was talking to critically, "Is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter, Rose. You've got a little bit of chin poking out.

"I'd rather die," Rose retorted flatly.

"Honestly," Cassandra continued, "It doesn't hurt…"

"No," Rose shook her head, "I mean it. I would rather die. It's better to die than live like you, a bitchy trampoline."

"Oh, well," Cassandra huffed, "What do you know."

"I was born on that planet," Rose nodded out the window, "And so was my sister, and so was my mum, and so was my dad, and that makes me and my sister officially the last human beings on this Platform, 'cos you're not human. You've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened till there's nothing left. Anything human got chucked in the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. Lipstick and skin. Nice talking," she muttered, shaking her head as she stalked away, leaving Cassandra to huff and puff as the Adherents of the Repeated Meme shifted, watching the incredulous blond walk through the sliding doors and out of the Suite.

 ***O*O*O***

"So, tell me, Jabe," the Doctor began conversationally as three carried on down the maintenance duct, the low hanging ceiling forcing them to stoop, "What's a Tree like you doing in a place like this?"

"Respect for the Earth," was her immediate response.

"Oh, come on," the Doctor scoffed as he gave her a sceptical look, "Everyone on this Platform's worth zillions."

"Well…" Jabe hedged, before admitting, "Perhaps it's a case of having been seen at the right occasions."

"In case your share prices drop? I know you lot," the Doctor remarked, "You've got massive forests everywhere, roots everywhere, and there's always money in land."

"All the same, we respect the Earth as family," Jabe replied, "So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another," and Poppy glanced at her with surprise, "My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below, and I'm a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest."

"Have you ever been?" Poppy asked with interest as the Doctor looked at Jabe impressed, "To the tropical rainforest, I mean," she clarified as the elegant Tree turned her gaze to her with bemusement.

"Once. Many years ago," Jabe replied and then continued at seeing Poppy's earnestly interested expression, "It was truly a beautiful forest. Full of life. Of course, I cannot vouch for the state it's fallen into now."

Poppy nodded her understanding as she glanced away, chewing her lower lip, the tropical forest moving up on her list of places that she one day wanted to visit… in fact she felt the intense itch to look at her world map to make sure she had a pin for it.

The Doctor smiled at her before he pointed to a control panel, "Excuse me," he murmured as he shifted towards it, pulling his sonic screwdriver back out of his pocket and started poking it at the screen, blue tip lighting up as it whirred.

"And what about your ancestry, Doctor?" Jabe queried curiously as she turned her complete attention to him, "Perhaps you could tell a story or two... perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left..."

The Doctor remained quiet, his expression going carefully blank as he continued to work at the control panel with his sonic.

Poppy eyed the Doctor's closed off expression with concern even as she frowned with a bit of confusion.

"I scanned you earlier," Jabe admitted, "The metal machine had trouble identifying your species, refused to admit your existence."

The Doctor fiddled with his sonic, emotion cracking his mask briefly, the barest hint of it flickering across his face.

' _The computer had refused to admit his existence…?'_ Poppy thought with growing confusion. Just what kind of alien was he? But as she eyed him, that barest flicker of deep pain crossing his face, she felt no desire to ask.

"And even when it named you," Jabe continued as Poppy reached out a slow almost cautious hand towards the Doctor, "I wouldn't believe it. But it was right."

The Doctor stilled as he felt a gentle hand touch his arm, giving up on all pretence that he was concentrating on the scan he was doing as his finger slipped off the button as he felt tears truly start to prick at the backs of his eyes. He felt Poppy's hand give a careful comforting squeeze and he lifted a hand, resting it on top of hers gratefully as Jabe continued, her tone growing hushed and almost awed.

"I know where you're from. Forgive me for intruding," she murmured truly regretful for any pain her words had cause, "But it's remarkable that you even exist. I just want to say... how sorry I am," she murmured placing her own hand on his opposite arm as a single tear slipped from his eyes and rolled down his cheek.

He shook it off, releasing Poppy's hand as he got back to work, ignoring both women as he worked on getting himself back under control. He opened the door and the three moved through it and into a large ventilation chamber.

"Is it me, or is it a bit nippy?" he asked.

"A tad," Poppy murmured as she glanced around the ventilation chamber, eyeing off the huge swiftly moving fans.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose crumpled to the floor of the corridor she'd been wandering down, unconscious. The Adherents of the Repeated Meme that had cold cocked her, reached down and quietly dragged her out of the corridor and into a room.

 ***O*O*O***

"Fair do's, though," the Doctor continued appreciatively, "That's a great bit of air conditioning. Sort of nice and old fashioned," he grinned, "Bet they call it 'retro'," he turned to a panel, pointing his sonic at it and gave it a quick scan, "Gotcha!" he said triumphantly as the panel fell off and a metal spider fell out and scuttled away across the floor, before scurrying up the wall, "What the hells that?" he exclaimed as the three of them watched it.

"How'd you even know it was there?" Poppy questioned, eyes still on the little robotic spider that was still scuttling around on the wall.

"I'm clever," the Doctor replied, a little smug and a little evasive.

"Is it part of the 'retro'?" Jabe asked.

"I don't think so," the Doctor muttered with a frown, "Hold on," he pointed it at the spider only for Jabe to fire a vine at it, immediately disabling it and bringing it to them, "Hey!" the Doctor exclaimed with a grin, "Nice liana!" he complimented as Jabe dropped the disabled spider into his hand.

"Thank you," Jabe murmured blushing a little, "We're not supposed to show them in public," she admitted.

"My lips are sealed," Poppy promised with a bit of a grin, that had been awesome, getting a smile from Jabe.

"We won't tell anybody," the Doctor agreed, before he turned his attention to the motionless robotic spider in his hand, "Now then, who's been bringing their pets on board?" he murmured as he eyed it intently.

"What does it do?" Jabe asked as she and Poppy peered down at the robotic spider.

"Sabotage," the Doctor responded grimly and Poppy pursed her lips slightly.

"Earth Death in 10 minutes."

"And the temperatures about to rocket. Come on," he urged and the three of them hurried back through the chamber and into the maintenance duct at a run as the computerized voice called after them.

"Earth Death in 10 minutes."

They darted out of the maintenance corridor and back into the main area of the ship. They ran back through the Platform, rounding a corner into another corridor that was filled with panicked little staff members that squeaked at each other urgently as they coughed on the smoke that filled the room as they gathered about the door to the Steward's office.

"Come on! Get back!" the Doctor ordered the staff so that he could get to the control panel by the door, his sonic whirring as he scanned it over the panel.

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising," the computer announced in response.

"Was the Steward in there?!" Jabe asked with concern.

"You can smell him," the Doctor replied grimly.

"Oh God…" Poppy breathed horrified, her face paling as she swallowed heavily, pressing her fingers harshly to her lips. The awful smell in the corridor suddenly assaulting her senses much harder than before.

"Hold on…" the Doctor muttered as he frowned at the panel, "There's another sun filter programmed to descend," he darted off down the corridor again, grasping Poppy's hand as he did so. He glanced at her as they ran down the corridor, eyeing her pale face with concern, "You alright?"

Poppy nodded, "Yeah…" she assured her voice a little shaky, "That was just… " she trailed swallowing heavily. Her brow furrowed and eyes troubled and the Doctor nodded, not needing her to go on to understand.

He squeezed her hand, "Come on," he murmured, "The programmed sun filter is this way," and Poppy nodded, the pair picking up their pace.

 ***O*O*O***

Inside a room, Rose woke up with a grimace and rubbed her sore head, glancing about herself with confusion, before a computerized voice made her freeze.

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."

She sat up horrified as she took stock of her situation, the deadly glare of the sun's rays starting to fill the room as the filter descended. She spun on her heel and ran to the closed door that refused to open for her. She pounded her fists against it, "Let me out!" she screamed.

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor and Poppy raced along a corridor. The Doctor releasing Poppy's hand as they came to a stop outside a door as a moment before the computer announced.

"Sun filter descending."

"Anyone in there?" the Doctor called as he scanned the control panel with his sonic working to get the filter rising again.

"Let me out!" Rose shouted frantically.

"Rose!" Poppy shouted horrified at the sound of her sister's voice coming from the other side of the door a second before her face appeared in the round window as the blond peeked through it.

"Poppy!" the blond shouted as her wide eyes landed on her sister, "Let me out!" she begged frantically.

"Oh, well, it would be you," the Doctor grumbled with frustration. Why was it always one of his companions, why?

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Poppy snapped at him, her heart pounding in her chest, brown eyes wide with fear for her twin.

"Just open the door!" Rose shouted frantically.

"Stop shouting at me and hold on," the Doctor huffed at the pair of them, "Give us two ticks!" he demanded as he continued to scan the panel, brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to work faster.

"Sun filter descending," the computer called again as Poppy tested the doors, pushing against them helpless trying to get them to open, her eyes locked on her twin's terrified face, "Sun filter descending."

"Doctor…!" Poppy called, tearing her gaze from her twin to glance at him anxiously.

"Almost. Almost," the Doctor muttered back still working at the controls his sonic whirring busily as he tried to reverse the programming," Ha!" he exclaimed in the next moment and looked up expectantly.

"Sun filter rising," the computer announced and the Doctor looked rather pleased with himself whilst Poppy sagged a bit with relief whilst Rose sighed out a relieved breath as the suns rays that had been making the room smoke started to recede again, "Sun filter rising."

"Oh my God…" Poppy sighed as she took a steadying breath trying to calm her racing heart. She didn't think she'd ever felt so helpless before.

"Sun filter rising… Sun filter descending."

"Just what we need," the Doctor scowled at the control panel as he got back to work, sonic whirring again, "The computer's getting clever."

"That's not funny!" Poppy exclaimed, panicked now.

"I'm not being funny!" the Doctor protested, hearts beating rather frantically now as he fought with the computer's programming, "It's literally being clever!"

"Will you stop mucking about!" Rose cried frantically, smacking at the closed doors that she really just wanted to open already.

"I'm not mucking about!" the Doctor yelled back, frowning heavily at the control panel, "It's fighting back!"

"Open the door!" Rose banged against it frantically again as the suns rays got closer and closer once more.

"Doctor please…!" Poppy urged, frantic.

"Hold on!" the Doctor yelled at them.

"Rose!" Poppy shouted as her twin disappeared from view as she ran to get to a lower point in the room and hopefully away from the sun's harmful rays.

"The locks melted!" Rose shouted from where she was crouched down, flattening herself against the floor.

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."

Frustrated with fiddling with it and highly aware of how little time he had left before the filter descended, the Doctor jabbed his sonic screwdriver right into the wiring.

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising,"

Rose stood up shakily and ran back up the stairs and to the door, panting for breath and sweat beading on her forehead from the heat in the room as it continued to smoke and steam as the suns rays retreated again.

"Can you get her out now please?!" Poppy asked as the Doctor yanked his sonic from where he'd stuck it into the wiring of the panel.

"The whole things jammed," the Doctor shook his head, "I can't open the doors," he growled in frustration, "Stay there! Don't move!" he ordered, before he grabbed Poppy's hand and taking off with her down the corridor.

"Where're am I gonna go? Ipswich?!" Rose shouted after them with sarcasm born of her terror, "Poppy?!" she called as her twin was pulled out of her range of sight, the small round window only letting her see so much of the corridor.

Poppy dug her heels in, pulling against the hold the Doctor had on her hand, and he paused turning to her with an impatient, frustrated frown, "That's my sister in there!" she exclaimed, shaking her head at him adamantly, her breathes a bit heavy and her eyes still wide, "I can't just leave her alone…"

The Doctor's expression softened slightly, "I know…" he nodded, "But, the best way you can help her is by helping me, right now."

Poppy took a shaky breath glancing back down the corridor to the room her sister was still trapped inside, alone. She took another deeper breath, trying to calm herself and turned her gaze back to the Doctor, her eyes meeting his as she gave him a tiny nod, "Ok…" she murmured with another small nod and the Doctor nodded, giving her hand a grateful squeeze as they took off down the corridor again at a run.

"Earth Death in five minutes."

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor and Poppy ran into the Manchester Suite to find the now concerned guests milling about the Suite, whilst Jabe tapped at her computer device, the disabled metal spider still in hand.

Jabe eyed her computer intently, "The metal machine confirms," she called, "The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One."

"How's that possible?" Cassandra gasped aghast, "Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturize me, moisturize me," she twittered.

The Doctor released Poppy's hand as he took the disabled spider out of Jabe's hand eyeing the spider.

"Summon the Steward!" the Moxx of Balhoon demanded.

Jabe shook her head sadly in response, "I'm afraid the Steward is dead," she informed them. There was a collective gasp of shock at the news.

"Who killed him?" the Moxx of Balhoon demanded to know, outraged.

"Don't know," Poppy shook her head.

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe! He invited us!" Cassandra declared accusingly and the Face of Boe shook his head inside his glass casing, "Talk to the face!" she insisted, "Talk to the face!"

"Easy way of finding out," the Doctor commented with a shrug, "Someone brought a little pet on board," he showed them the robotic spider he was holding, "Let's send him back to Master," he bent and placed the spider on the floor and immediately it scuttled across the floor coming to a stop at the base of Cassandra's metal frame. She looked a little shifty for a moment as it looked up at her before it was scuttling off again, going directly to the Adherents of the Repeated Meme, stopping at their feet.

"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme, J'accuse!" Cassandra gasped and Poppy narrowed her eyes on them, her hands clenching into fists at her sides as she glowered at them. They'd attempted to kill her sister…

The Doctor strolled towards the Adherents of the Repeated Meme, "That's all very well, and really kind of obvious," he nodded, "But if you stop and think about it..." he trailed as one of the Adherents of the Repeated Meme tried to strike at him the moment he was in range, but with a swift move he caught its arm and ripped it off without batting an eye, "A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are. An idea," he stated as he ripped a wire out of the arm he was holding and all of the Adherents of the Repeated Meme crumpled into a mess of black cloaks, and the guests gasped whilst Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"So… their robots?" Poppy muttered, blinking, brows quirked at the crumpled mess of black cloaks on the floor of the Suite a bit bemused.

"Remote controlled Droids," the Doctor explained, his light tone belying his simmering anger, "Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo!" he ordered giving the spider an encouraging little nudge with his foot, "Go home!" he demanded and the spider scurried back across the floor over to Cassandra.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes at the Doctor with irritation, "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed," she grumbled. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her completely unimpressed, "At arms!" she barked out an order and her two assistants stationed on either side of her raised their canisters.

"What are you going to do, moisturize me?" the Doctor asked mockingly.

Cassandra smirked devilishly, "With acid. Oh, too late anyway," she cooed smugly, "My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face," she crowed, unable to keep from praising herself – the jig was up anyway.

"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it?" the Doctor ached an incredulous brow at her, "How stupid's that?"

"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous," Cassandra explained with nonchalance, completely unconcerned.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, _'Humans!'_ he thought with disgust as he eyed Cassandra, "Five billion years and it still comes down to money," he sneered.

Cassandra glared at him, "Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am The Last Human, Doctor. Me. Not those freaky little kids of yours!" she declared shooting a nasty look at Poppy.

Poppy met her glare for glare, "If you were more than a little bit of skin I'd punch you in the nose… well, if you had one, that is."

"You wouldn't dare!" Cassandra gasped, mouth gape as she stared at Poppy, shocked.

"You tried to kill my sister!" Poppy glowered at her harder.

"She had it coming!" Cassandra hissed at her, "That horrid little chav…" Poppy started forward jaw clenching, "Moisturise her! Moisturise her!" Cassandra shrieked fearfully.

Poppy paused her arms crossing as her eyes flicked to the canister wielding assistants, "You're not worth it, frikkin skin trampoline," she huffed, glowering at Cassandra even as her view was obscured by the Doctor as he shifted so that he was in the way of the canisters nozzles once again. His eyes narrowed on Cassandra.

"Arrest her," the Moxx of Balhoon demanded, "The infidel!"

"Oh, shut it, pixie," Cassandra snapped with irritation, before she smirked smugly, "I've still got my final option."

"Earth Death in 3 minutes."

"And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead," Cassandra explained, "My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? 'Burn, baby, burn'," She crowed smugly.

"Then you'll burn with us," Jabe pointed out, eyeing the Last Human coldly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Cassandra simpered, "I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but... I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate," she called and there are series of explosions around the ship, "Force fields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband," Cassandra giggled, "Oh, shame on me. Buh-bye, darlings! Buh-bye, my darlings," she called as she and her assistants teleported out.

"Heat levels rising."

"Reset the computer!" the Moxx of Balhoon demanded.

"Only the Steward would know how," Jabe reminded the distraught alien.

The Doctor shook his head, "No. We can do it by hand," he reassured them, "There must be a system restore switch. Poppy, come on," he murmured as he crossed back to her and grabbed her hand again as she nodded and they headed for the exit, "You lot - just chill!" he called over his shoulder to the guests.

Jabe stared after them with concern about to follow them when she felt the familiar hands of Lute and Coffa gently touching her shoulders and she glanced at them, seeing their concern for her, before nodding slightly and remaining where she was. Her eyes going back to the doors that the Doctor and Poppy had disappeared through.

"Earth Death in 2 minutes. Earth Death in 2 minutes."

 ***O*O*O***

"Heat levels critical," the computer announced as the Doctor and Poppy ran back through the maintenance duct, "Heat levels critical."

They ran out into the ventilation chamber and paused briefly as the Doctor glanced about for the switch, "Oh," he groaned as he spotted it, "And guess where the switch is."

Poppy followed his gaze past the large spinning fans, "Oh," she groaned rather horrified at its positioning, "You're kidding me."

"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."

The Doctor gaze went to a lever and he stepped over to it, pulling it down experimentally, beaming a grin when the large sharp quickly spinning blades slowed down in response.

"External temperature, five thousand degrees."

The Doctor let go of the lever and his smile faded as the moment he let go the fans picked up speed again, spinning just as quickly as before.

Poppy glanced from the rapidly spinning fans to the lever, before she swallowed heavily, heart pounding against her ribcage as she shrugged off her denim jacket and tossed it to the floor. It was getting to hot for it anyway. And stepped towards the lever.

The Doctor tore his hopeless gaze from the fans to look at her, "Poppy…"

"You need to get across, right?" Poppy asked rhetorically as she experimentally touched the backs of her fingers to the metal lever… not too hot, yet. She pressed down on it and the fans started to slow again.

"The heats going to vent through this place," the Doctor warned as he eyed her with concern.

"Yeah…" Poppy swallowed, "Kind of figured," she let out a breath, "But if it's between me getting a bit of a burn and my sister's life and, every other life on this Platform. Well," she offered him a small smile, "I choose to get singed," she arched her brows at him as he stared at her, intently, an almost strange expression on his face, "What?"

The Doctor shook his head, "Nothing," he grinned.

"Then stop wasting time," Poppy chastised him and he turned, stilling grinning as he ran back over to the first fan. Reminded all over again of just how amazing and surprising Human Beings could be. It was a grin that faded as the computer announced.

"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."

The Doctor eyed the revolving blade of the first of three fans, brow furrowed in concentration as he tracked its movements.

"Heat levels hazardous," the computer announced as a crack appeared in the observation window in the Manchester Suite, "Heat levels hazardous."

The Doctor dodged the first fan and ran underneath it, anxious eyes already going to the second. Highly aware of how little time there was and how little heat and exposure to it would burn human skin.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose cowered in the room she couldn't escape, pressing herself against the wall as she waited, her eyes wide with growing fear. Hoping that the Doctor and her sister would be able to do something in time…

"Shields malfunctioning. Shields malfunctioning."

Rose hunched lower as rays of the sun blast through the splintering cracks in the filter over the window, everything it touched beginning to melt and burn. The room starting to fill with smoke again. She screamed in terror.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy breathed heavily as she continued to hold the lever down, her hair sticking to her face, her skin damp with sweat and her yellow shirt was clinging to her skin unpleasantly as the heat in the room rose and rose and rose and the metal lever beneath her hands grew hotter and hotter. Her eyes screwed shut as her fingers twitched about it, the reflex to let go in response to the painful stimuli at work. She held on tighter, her face contorting in pain as the skin of her palms burned hotly, "Not gonna let go!" she mumbled to herself, "Not gonna let go! Not gonna let go! Nope. Nuh-uh," she continued in a bid to distract herself, "Not gonna let go!"

The Doctor glanced back at her anxiously, taking in the state Poppy was in with concern.

"Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical."

He tore his eyes away from her and turned back to the fan. He had to keep moving! He timed his moment and stepped forward, stepping in between the revolving blades before running on towards the third.

 ***O*O*O***

The cracked glass in the Manchester Suite splintered further and the Moxx of Balhoon was enveloped in the powerful ray of light that broke through into the Suite in response. He screamed in agony as he died.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose tucked her head under her arms, not wanting to see death coming as the rays of light hit perilously close to either side of her.

"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy let out a pained cry and the Doctor spun back around with alarm to see her still holding down the lever, body trembling with her pain as she fought against the urge to release the lever as the skin on her hands burned. He turned back around, eyeing the spinning blade of the third fan intently as the computer started the countdown to the planet's explosion. His hearts pounding harshly against his ribcage as the single digit numbers were called out. He stepped forward, dodging the blade, before dashing the last of the distance to the reset breaker, "Raise shields!" he shouted with only seconds to spare.

"Exoglass repair," the computer announced in the next moment as the cracks in the filter were fixed, "Exoglass repair."

The Doctor sighed out a relieved breath, body relaxing slightly, before he spun on his heel and hurried back through the three fans. His eyes locked on Poppy as she released the lever after he dodged back through the last fan.

Poppy stumbled a little feeling a bit off balance as she stared at her badly burned hands, before her eyes flicked up to the Doctor as he stepped over to her, eyes concerned, "Ow…" she muttered a bit weakly, "But, yay, you did it."

The Doctor shook his head at her, lips quirking upwards at her a little, "We did it," he corrected. He reached for her hands and Poppy flinched back slightly on instinct her hands feeling raw as they throbbed. He glanced up at her, eyes meeting hers, "Trust me," he urged gently.

Poppy swallowed but nodded ever so slightly and shifted back towards him again, extending her hands out towards him palms up, "It's pretty bad, huh?"

"Yes, it is," the Doctor stated as he gently took her hands in his, inspecting the burned skin, his brow furrowed.

"It's gonna take forever to heal," Poppy muttered, internally cringing as she imagined her mother's concerned fussing over the damage, and all the lies she'd have to tell to come up with even a plausible reason as to how she'd gotten them.

"It'll take a fair bit, yes," the Doctor nodded, "Or… it would," he glanced up at her with a smirk, "If you didn't have me."

"What you've got some jiggery pokery for burns?" Poppy questioned with a bit of bemusement as she eyed him.

"Something like that," he agreed.

"Uh…" Poppy's brows rose on her forehead as he bowed his head over her hands, "Kissing the boo-boos doesn't actually work, ya know."

"I'm not gonna kiss 'em," the Doctor muttered a bit distracted as he concentrated, before he blew out a gentle breath.

Poppy's eyes widened as golden tendrils of light wisped out of his mouth as his breath breezed gently over her hands. The pain almost instantly lessening as the blistered, red angry skin of her palms lightened as it rapidly healed, leaving the skin smooth and blemish free as the last of the golden wisping light retreated as quickly as it had appeared. She gaped at him with shock and awe, struggling for words as he straightened up again, "You…" she floundered for words as she looked down at her palms running her fingers over the healed skin. She looked back up at him mouth still agape, "How…?"

The Doctor grinned at her expression, "It's a little bit of a trick," he told her, before he turned and stepped over to where she'd tossed her jacket.

"That's some trick," Poppy murmured appreciatively as she ran her fingers lightly over the palms of her hands again as he stooped and picked up her jacket.

"Come on," the Doctor told her, drawing her gaze again. He tossed her, her jacket before starting from the ventilation room, Poppy stepping after him, following him from the chamber. The Doctor's expression hardened, "We're not done yet."

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy stepped into the Manchester Suite after the Doctor a relieved grin lighting up her face as her eyes landed on her twin. The blond immediately crossing over to her with a relieved grin of her own, the two hugging.

"You alright?" Poppy asked.

"Yeah," Rose nodded, "Fine. You?" she asked pulling back to look her sister over.

"Yeah," Poppy nodded.

Rose glanced over at the Doctor taking in his tight expression as he cast his gaze about the Suite, "What about you? You alright?"

"Yeah," the Doctor muttered distracted, "I'm fine, I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them," he rumbled, his voice tight with supressed anger as he began moving about the suite still looking, mind racing, "Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed," his gaze landed on the 'ostrich' egg, "Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby," he explained, before he stalked over to the egg, snatching it up, before he threw it to the floor, breaking it open revealing the teleportation feed. He bent, snatching it up off the floor, "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed," he declared and twisted the device.

Immediately, Cassandra appeared back in the Suite mid-sentence, "Ah, you should have seen their little alien faces," she gloated cheerily, before she noticed that she wasn't in the comfort of her own hideaway, "Oh!"

"The Last Human," the Doctor sneered, his gaze cold, flinty, as it rested on her.

Cassandra looked around at all the angry faces staring at her rather flustered at this turn of events, "So…" she floundered, "You passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join the er... the human club."

"People have died, Cassandra," the Doctor glared, "You murdered them."

Cassandra glared at him, "That depends on your definition of 'people'," she sniffed, "And that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court then, Doctor! And watch me smile, and cry, and flutter..."

"And creak?" the Doctor cut her off with a smirk.

Cassandra stared at him nonplussed, "And what?"

"Creak! You're creaking," he told her a cheery note entering his voice as Cassandra's skin began to visibly tighten. Her eyes becoming bloodshot, her skin paling out to a sickly shade.

"What? Ah! Ah! I'm drying out!" Cassandra began to panic, "Oh, sweet heavens! Moisturize me! Moisturize me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!" she gasped, her skin beginning to splotch red.

"You raised the temperature," the Doctor stated flatly, coldly, staring at her unflinchingly as the red splotches deepened angrily.

"Have pity!" Cassandra pleaded, "Moisturize me! Oh, Doctor!"

Poppy swallowed heavily, "Do something," she urged, her gaze going from the terrified Cassandra to the Doctor's back. Feeling nothing but pity for the woman in that moment.

"Help her," Rose urged, rather shaken as she stared at the being that called itself 'The Last Human', continued to creak.

"Everything has it's time," the Doctor replied calmly, cold flinty eyes not leaving Cassandra. He'd almost lost them. The both of them and all because she'd wanted more money, "And everything dies."

Cassandra began to shrivel, "I'm... too... young!" she cried out before she exploded outward in a shower of skin and blood.

Poppy and Rose cringed back a bit at that, but the Doctor remained completely cold in the face of it, just staring darkly, before he turned and exited the room without looking back… Poppy and Rose staring after him with concern.

 ***O*O*O***

"Shuttles 4 and 6 now departing," the computer announced as Poppy and Rose stood alone in the Manchester Suite, staring out the window solemnly at the bits of variously sized rocks, asteroids, that had been the Earth as they floated past the giant red burning sun, "This unit now closing down for maintenance."

They heard footsteps approaching behind them and they turned, eyes landing on the Doctor as he re-joined them.

"We missed it," Poppy murmured softly, sadly.

"The end of the Earth," Rose murmured sorrowfully, close to tears, "It's gone. We were too busy saving ourselves. No one saw it go," she let out a sad sigh, her hand squeezing tightly about Poppy's as the ginger took her hand as the Doctor looked at the both of them, "All those years… all that history…"

"All gone…" Poppy squeezed back, her heart feeling heavy in her chest as she turned her gaze back out to the rocks, "Everything…"

"And no one was even looking," Rose sniffed, "It's just…"

"Come with me," the Doctor murmured and Poppy glanced at him to see him holding out a hand towards them. She turned from the observation window and took it. His hand closing about hers, before he turned and led them back through the Suite, headed for where the Tardis had been parked by the little blue members of staff.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy and Rose stepped out of the Tardis, their eyes taking in the teeming London street with a new appreciation as the Doctor stepped out of the Tardis after them. He watched them for a moment before he sighed out a low breath, forcing himself to speak, "You think it'll last forever, people cars and concrete, but it won't," he murmured and they turned their eyes to him, "One day it's all gone. Even the sky," and the three looked up at the beautiful blue hue of the sky above them. The Doctor swallowed as he turned his gaze back to them, his eyes sad, "My planet's gone," he admitted after a moment. Poppy and Rose stilled, eyes going back to him, "It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before its time."

"Oh…" Poppy breathed, the words Jabe had spoken in the maintenance duct suddenly making more sense, "I'm sorry."

Rose swallowed, eyeing him carefully, "What happened?"

"There was a war," the Doctor replied heavily, "And we lost."

"A war with who?" Rose questioned and got silence as the Doctor looked away from them lost in thought in old memories, "What about your people?"

"Who are they?" Poppy murmured as his gaze focused back on them as he pulled himself back to the present.

"I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor replied, "I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm travelling on my own 'cos there's no one else."

"There's me," Poppy gave him a bit of a smile.

Rose nodded, her lips quirking up too as the Doctor looked at them with obvious surprise, "And me."

"You two have seen how dangerous it is," he eyed them, cautiously hopeful, even as he offered, "Do you want to go home?"

Poppy looked around at the teeming London street again, taking it in before looking back up at the beautiful sky. She looked back down at her hands, no signs of the bad burns she'd gotten not even half an hour before. She looked back up at the Time Lord who was silently staring at her, waiting for an answer. She grinned, she wasn't ready to go home, "No."

The Doctor grinned back, eyes brightening, before he glanced at Rose who was frowning slightly as she looked at her sister, "What about you?"

"I don't know…" Rose muttered, tucking some hair back behind her ear, "I want…" she trailed and she sniffed, distracted, "Oh! Can you smell chips?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" the Doctor laughed.

"I want chips!" Rose declared with a grin.

"Me too!" the Doctor agreed.

"Chips and gravy for me!" Poppy grinned, an arm linking through her sisters.

"Right then, before you get us back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay," Rose declared brightly, her previous uncertainty completely forgotten.

"No money," the Doctor admitted with a shrug.

"Right…" Poppy muttered with a blink, before she shrugged and glanced at her twin, "Guess chips are on us, Ro-Ro."

"Yeah," Rose nodded, "Come on then, tightwad," she gestured as she turned and she and Poppy started away, "Chips are on us," and the Doctor grinned at them as he followed, falling into step with them.

"We've only got five billion years before the shops close," Rose jested and the three laughed as they strolled on down the street, following the tantalising smell of chips.


	3. Chapter 3 The Unquiet Dead

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just Poppy my o/c.

 **A/N:** A big thank you to everyone who followed/favourited and reviewed the previous chapter. And another thank you goes to **Maethoriel Artemis** and **Saberbladeprime** for reading over this chapter for me and giving me feedback.

 **CHAPTER 3**

 **The Unquiet Dead**

The Tardis shook heavily as she spun haphazardly through the vortex, jerking the three gathered around her central console about as they clung to it, "What's wrong with her?" Poppy exclaimed a moment after almost losing her footing for the umpteenth time since the heavy shaking had started mid-flight.

"Nothing," the Doctor replied shooting the ginger a quick grin, "Just a bit of turbulence through the old vortex, nothing to get worked up about."

"You consider this a bit?" Rose exclaimed, eyeing him dubiously from where she stood across from him.

"Yeah, just a bit," the Doctor grinned wider as he twisted another knob and flicked a switch on the console, enjoying the ride as he told them, "Bit of fun!"

"Not exactly the word I'd use for it!" Poppy grumbled as she clung tighter to the console with her one free hand whilst doing her best to keep a firm pressure on the button she was keeping held down.

A warning alarm blared through the ship, and the Tardis shuddered under their feet as her shaking increased, "Ahh," the Doctor muttered, "Oops," he moved his hands over the controls, eyes going to the monitor.

The twins peered at him, their eyes a bit wide with alarm now, "What do you mean, _oops_?!" they demanded.

"Nothing," he tried, glancing away from the monitor to look at them as they stared at him in disbelief, "Just…" he gestured towards one of the buttons across the console from him, "Hold that one down!"

"I'm holding this one down!" Rose protested in response, glancing at the button he'd gestured at… definitely not within easy reach.

"Poppy, then!" the Doctor urged, yelling over the blaring alarm as he gestured urgently at the button again.

"But," Poppy began as she glanced at the button he was pointing at frowning at how far it was from her, before she turned her gaze back to the Doctor, "I'm holding this one down!" she reminded him.

"Well, hold them _both_ down!" he insisted.

"What do you want me to do?!" Poppy yelled incredulously over the noise of the alarm, "Climb the console like it's a jungle gym?"

"If you have too!" the Doctor yelled back as he made a 'go for it' gesture as the ginger eyed him a little dubiously.

"This had better work!" Poppy grumbled, before she shifted her hold on the button she was already holding down, before launching herself on top of the console stretching herself across it, slamming her hand down on the button with an effort, her arm straining and fingers aching from the pressure she was putting on them to keep the button held down.

"It's not working!" Rose shouted over the noise as Poppy almost slipped from her precarious position stretched across the top of the console as the Tardis gave another heavy jerk, the entire ship shuddering unhappily.

"It's working fine," the Doctor retorted, his eyes on the console monitor.

"Then why isn't the alarm stopping…?!" Poppy let out a yelp as she was almost knocked off the Tardis console by a particularly violent shudder, "Or the shaking for that matter!" she yelped again, desperately trying to cling to the console with her knees now.

"Oi!" the Doctor huffed peering about the console to stare at the two of them, "I promised you both a time machine and that's what you're getting! Now," he grinned at them as they eyed him, "You girls have seen the future, let's have a look at the past. 1860," he suggested, "How does 1860 sound?"

"Sounds amazing," Poppy replied, "You know," she let out another yelp as she half slipped as another shudder threatened to turf her from atop the console, "If we don't crash land or anything first!" she snarked.

"We're not going to crash land," the Doctor assured her, gaze flicking to the monitor again before he flicked a switch and turned another dial whilst Poppy let out a breath of relief.

"What happened in 1860?" Rose shouted over to him, curious despite the shaking that was threatening to upset her stomach and more than a little glad that they wouldn't be crash landing, despite all the nauseating shaking.

"I don't know, let's find out!" the Doctor exclaimed with excitement, "Hold on!" he warned with a grin.

"Hold on to what?!" Poppy shouted with alarm as she eyed him, she didn't have any spare hands to hold on with! But it came too late as the Doctor exclaimed.

"Here we go!" and yanked down a lever that sent the Tardis careening haphazardly through the vortex faster, headed now for a fixed destination.

 ***O*O*O***

The Tardis came to a stop with a lurching jolt, and Poppy who'd somehow managed to cling to the console through the last stretch of the journey tumbled off the console with a cry that turned into a bit of a groan as she landed heavily on the grated floor. The Tardis wheezing as she finished materialising at their destination.

Poppy blinked up at the ceiling and then grinned before she broke into laughter, the Doctor and Rose joining her as the three of them lay on the floor where they'd fallen. That had actually been kind of fun the ginger decided as she pushed herself back up to her feet, still grinning.

"Blimey!" Rose exclaimed as she too got back onto her feet with an exhilarated grin, rather thrilled now that it was over.

"Bit of a rough landing," Poppy commented a she brushed herself off.

"You're telling me!" the Doctor exclaimed as he bounded up to his feet with a grin, "You two alright?" he asked, his gaze drifting to Poppy who'd fallen the farthest of them having been on top of the console when she had.

"Yep!" Poppy nodded as she straightened out her denim jacket so that it was sitting on her shoulders properly, before she turned her eyes to him and grinned back, "No damage," well, a bit of a bruised backside from the fall, but that wasn't worth mentioning.

"Yeah! Think so!" Rose replied, "Nothing broken…" she added as she checked herself over, straightening out her clothes as she did so.

"Good," Poppy murmured with a nod, before she started stretching out her arms and then her legs, loosening the muscles that had tensed up in her desperate effort to keep herself anchored to the top of the console. Her eyes went to it, and her brow creased slightly at seeing it smoking lightly, she stepped closer to it and peered down at it, eyes squinting as she tried to see if she could identify where it was coming from…

"Did we make it?" Rose asked as the Doctor stepped towards the monitor, "Where are we?"

The Doctor peered at the screen, "I did it!" he grinned as Poppy bent a bit closer to the console peering intently as the light smoking dissipated a bit more, "Give the man a medal. Earth, Naples, December 24th, 1860."

"And burned out some wiring in the process," Poppy called, her eyes locked on what she could see of the wiring. Her fingers twitching slightly at her sides with the same desire to fix that had had her visually searching for the source of the smoke.

"What?" the Doctor asked, a touch sharply, frowning, as he moved around the console towards her.

"Yeah…" Poppy murmured as he came to a stop beside her, "Just here, see?" she pointed to a small crevice in the console where some wiring had been exposed at some point during the rather bumpy flight, forcing herself not to touch, no matter how much her fingers wanted to twitch closer and even just brush her fingers against the wires. But she knew better than to mess with something she didn't understand… and here she was so far out of her depth it wasn't funny. So, she lowered her hand and shifted out of the way slightly as the Time Lord leaned in to look at where she was pointing, hands at her sides.

"So there is," the Doctor muttered, eyeing the definitely burned out wiring that was peeking through where it shouldn't be. He glanced up at her in mild surprise, "Well done."

Poppy blinked, eyes narrowing slightly on him, was he patronising her? "Just a bit of burnt out wiring…" she muttered, glancing at the console again that had thankfully stopped smoking completely now, "I just thought that there could be more…"

The Doctor nodded, still eyeing her, bit of a grin quirking up his lips, "So there could."

Poppy blinked again and turned her gaze back to him, eyeing his expression, "And…" she scratched at her forehead as she realised he'd been humouring her, "I'm telling you what you already know, huh…"

"Sort of, yeah," the Doctor grinned, patting the console fondly, "A few burnt out wires throughout. Easy fixed. Do that at some point before we head off again."

"Head off…" Poppy trailed and her eyes widened in realisation, "Wait…" she breathed a bit of a grin curving up her lips, "You said, Naples?!"

"I did," the Doctor nodded, still grinning.

"As in Naples?!" Poppy repeated, with excitement.

"That's right, Naples is right outside those doors," the Doctor grinned again, gesturing towards the doors of the Tardis, "Just waiting for you," he added as Poppy turned to look at them, teeth sinking into her lower lip as she grinned widely.

"And it's Christmas," Rose murmured with a smile, breaking her silence, having been eyeing them from her spot by the console, a bit contemplatively.

"Naples at Christmas," Poppy murmured as her gaze flicked from the Time Lord to Rose and the twins shared an excited grin.

"All yours," the Doctor urged them, gesturing towards the closed Tardis doors again.

"But, it's like... think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once. Just once, and it's gone. It's finished. It'll never happen again. Except for you," Rose contemplated him thoughtfully, "You can go back and see days that are dead and gone and a hundred thousand sunsets ago... no wonder you never stay still..."

"I know I couldn't," Poppy commented.

"You never could though," Rose replied, eyes going to her twin again.

"True," Poppy agreed, with a tongue in teeth grin lighting up her face.

"It's not a bad life," the Doctor commented with a shrug as he eyed them.

"Better with three," Rose grinned her own tongue in teeth grin, "Come on, then!" she urged and turned for the door. Poppy swiftly darting round the Doctor, following her twin eagerly towards the doors.

"Oi, oi, oi!" the Doctor called after them making them pause, "Where do you think you're going?!" he asked as they turned back around to look at him.

"Naples," Poppy replied, gesturing over her shoulder at the doors.

"1860," Rose added.

The Doctor shook his head at them, grinning in amusement at the impatience and excitement he could see on their faces as they stared at him, "Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarellas!" he chided them and Poppy glanced down at her casual twenty-first century attire and made an 'o' face before looking back up as he continued, "There's a wardrobe through there," he gestured up the stairs behind him, "First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, it's the fifth door on your left," he told them as the twins exchanged a look at the swiftly spoken directions, before darting forward, "Hurry up!" he called after them, grinning, as they darted past him and up the stairs venturing in to the corridor beyond at a dead run.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy smiled as she shifted through one of the many racks of the massive wardrobe as she searched for something to wear, pulling out a vivid blue dress taking in its many frilly ruffles with a grin, before she put it back. She pulled out a brown dress next looking it over a bit more seriously before it too found itself back in its spot on the rack. Honestly, she could probably spend hours on end in here, just looking through all the many clothes and bits and bobs. The ginger honestly wasn't sure if there was an actual end to the massive wardrobe the Doctor had directed them too or if it was actually as endless as it looked.

She moved to the next rack and shot a quick grin at Rose as she headed towards her, "Any luck?" she asked as she turned back to the rack she'd moved to.

"I found these," Rose replied, holding up a pair of black heeled boots to show her as she shifted a couple of dresses around on the rack without taking them off.

"Nice," Poppy nodded, glancing at the shoes.

"Yep. Just gotta find something to match..." Rose turned from the rack, smiling at her twin a bit sardonically as she added, "Something that won't cause a riot."

"Hmm, good luck!" Poppy grinned.

"Mmm, think I'll need it," Rose nodded, grinning back, "This place is huge!"

"Tell me about it!" Poppy exclaimed glancing about the wardrobe again as Rose moved off once more to continue her search, "Dunno how he expected us to hurry!" Poppy murmured as she turned her attention back to the rack, shifting about a couple more of the dresses, before she turned to move to the next rack only to catch sight of one out of the corner of her eye and turned back she pulled the dress off the rack and grinned as she looked it over, "Now... shoes..." she murmured as she walked out from between the racks in search of shoes that would go with it...

A bit later Poppy stood in front of a mirror as she finished adjusting the long sleeved corseted red jacket that helped give the creamy white material of her dress shape, cinching it in at her waist. The ruffled ends of the skirts of her dress just whispering over the floor. The toes of the creamy white heeled shoes she'd chosen to go with it just peeking out from beneath them. A silver bracelet with a red jewel embedded in the centre on her left wrist along with matching earrings augmenting the look of her chosen attire. Dressing it up.

"Look what I've found!" Rose called as she stepped out from between a couple of racks, approaching Poppy from behind, looking down at the hair pins she had in her hands, "Oh," she smiled as she looked up, Poppy turning to look at her, "You look nice, Pop. Almost like a real lady," she grinned a cheeky tongue in teeth grin.

Poppy rolled her eyes, lips quirking up, "And you," she eyed her twin over, "Look the same as ever. Still haven't found anything?"

"I'm looking! Think I've just about cobbled something together now," Rose waved her off, "But never mind that, look at these," she insisted.

"Oh," Poppy blinked at the hair pieces in her twins hands, "A rose and poppies," she commented and looked up with a bit of a smirk, "How original."

"Oh, shut up," Rose huffed, "If you don't want it I'll just go put it..."

"Shut up and give it here,' Poppy cut in as she grabbed the hair pin that was a bunch of four poppies set in black lace, "I love it!" she grinned.

Rose grinned back, "Thought you would."

"It'll go nicely with what I've got planned for my hair," Poppy mused as she looked the pin over.

"What you got planned?" Rose asked.

"Bit of a bun with a poof at the front..." Poppy gestured and then paused eyeing her twin, "Don't copy it!"

"Would I do that?" Rose asked, all innocence.

"Yes!" Poppy stated as her fraternal twin started away cheeky tongue in teeth grin in place once more, "Rose!"

"Gotta find the last bits of my outfit," Rose called over her shoulder waving a flippant hand back at her twin.

Poppy rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror, "Sisters," she huffed under her breath with mild irritation, shaking her head, before she brought the hairpin up to her head testing positions for it, whilst imagining her hair up in the bun she was planning.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor was standing, stooped over with his back to the stairs, working on the wiring under the console, sonic whirring, fixing the damage done whilst he waited for his companions to find their way back out of the wardrobe.

"Oh, you repairing her?" Poppy asked with interest as she and Rose crested the top of the stairs, their eyes landing on his stooped over form.

"Just finished actually," the Doctor replied switching off his sonic and straightening up as he continued, "You've got…" he trailed as he looked over his shoulder his mouth going dry as his eyes landed on Poppy, "Blimey!" he exclaimed as he took in the sight of her as he turned to face the stairs completely.

Poppy quirked her brows upwards in question as she smiled at him, "Is that blimey good or blimey bad?"

"You look beautiful!" the Doctor told her and Poppy's smile turned into a pleased grin, teeth sinking into her lower lip, "Er… you both do…" he added a bit awkwardly, his gaze flicking over to Rose belatedly realising that she was also standing on the stairs beside her twin. A single brow arched up at him and a tiny knowing quirk to her lips. The Doctor cleared his throat and glanced away from the two of them awkwardly, "Considering…" he muttered as he flicked on his sonic again to distract himself.

Rose cocked a hip as she shot him a look, eyes slightly narrowed as she regarded him, "Considering what?"

"That you're humans!" the Doctor replied switching the sonic off again. Giving up on pretending that he was going back to work on the console. His eyes drifting back to Poppy with a will of their own. The ginger regarding him with light amusement.

Whilst Rose glanced from the Time Lord to her twin and back again, not missing the way he was staring at her sister, a bit amused and perhaps the tiniest bit disappointed.

"That's a bit funny coming from you," the ginger mused as she eyed him over, "Considering you look human yourself."

"Nah," the Doctor grinned at her, "You've got that backwards. You look Time Lord," he gestured to himself, "We came first."

"Well, regardless of who came first," Rose mused with amusement as she linked her arm through her twins, "I think that was a compliment," she teased, grinning.

Poppy glanced at her twin, "I'd say so," she agreed with a tongue in teeth grin as her eyes returned to the Doctor.

"Aren't you going to change?" Rose questioned as she looked him over a bit critically.

"I've changed my jumper!" the Doctor waved her off.

Poppy arched a brow at him, "Bit of a double standard going on here, Ro-Ro," she glanced at her twin with a cheeky grin, "We get all dressed up and he just changes his jumper."

The Doctor rolled his eyes with a bit of a smirk and jumped out of the space beneath the console, tucking away his sonic, "Come on!" he urged them, starting for the doors.

"You, stay there!" Rose demanded bringing him up short as he turned back to look at them, "You've done this before. This one's ours!" she declared with a grin as she and Poppy hurried down the stairs hands fisted in their skirts so they wouldn't trip on them as they went down the steps and ran for the doors. The Doctor grinning after them as he watched them open the doors and peer out at the street beyond before they stepped out of the Tardis almost gingerly, before starting for the doors himself.

Poppy grinned, practically thrumming with excitement as she glanced about the snow covered street. A snow covered street in Naples… she glanced down, moving a couple of steps and she couldn't have stopped the giddy giggle that escaped her if she'd tried. She was leaving footprints in the snow in Naples! She looked up eyes going to her twin, "Oh my God, Rose!" she breathed as the Doctor stepped out of the Tardis, "We're in Naples!"

The Doctor grinned as he turned from locking the door and stepped up beside her, eyeing her delighted expression, "Ready for this?"

Poppy's eyes shot to him, brown shining up at him with delight, "Is that a trick question?" she asked as she took his proffered arm with a tongue in teeth grin.

The Doctor glanced at Rose who was standing on his other side and returned her wide beaming grin as she accepted his arm, "Here we go. History!" he exclaimed and Poppy let out a joyous laugh as they set off down the street, her head resting briefly against his shoulder as she glanced about the deserted street they were on with excitement, missing the way the Doctor grinned warmly at her as his eyes returned to her.

The three strolled into a square Poppy and Rose glancing around with amazed excitement, eyes darting around trying to take everything in whilst the Doctor grinned, even as he took in the square with a little confusion. His changed direction as he spotted a lone vendor amongst the other people that were milling about.

Rose shot Poppy a wide excited grin as they followed the Doctor across the square, only to pause at the sight of the small confused crease to Poppy's brow. She shifted closer, linking their arms drawing her twins attention from the square, "What is it?" she asked in a low whisper.

Poppy shook her head, "Nothing," she replied just as lowly and grinned, "This is brilliant!" she assured and got an arched brow and a look from her twin as they came to a stop, the Doctor digging about in the pockets of his jacket for a couple of small coins to pay the street vendor with, "I was just expecting it to look more like the pictures," Poppy shrugged and grinned at Rose again, "Probably got remodelled over the years or so…"

"I got the flight a bit wrong," the Doctor cut into their low conversation and the twins turned their eyes too him to see him looking at an unfolded newspaper.

"How wrong?" Poppy asked curiously as he peered up at them a little sheepishly.

"Well, it's not 1860, for starters," he admitted as he folded up the newspaper again and they started along the street again, "It's 1869."

"Don't care," the twins replied, walking on either side of him once again.

"And…" the Doctor continued a little more hesitantly as his glancing at Poppy briefly, "It's not Naples."

"Still don't care," Rose replied.

"Where are we?" Poppy asked, eyeing the Doctor curiously and blinking as he tugged at his ear a bit uncomfortably.

"Cardiff," he admitted as his eyes focused on her again.

"Right…" Rose muttered after a brief pause looking about the square again just the tiniest bit disappointed.

"Still," Poppy murmured, smiling, after another beat of silence had passed, "It's 1869! We're in 1869!" she laughed.

The Doctor shot her small smile, before grimacing as he glanced about the street, "Still it's Cardiff," he groaned, "Not funny," he griped as Poppy laughed again, though his lips twitched upwards into a small half smile.

"Oh," Poppy grinned, "It's a little funny."

"No it's not," the Doctor insisted as Rose started laughing at him too as he continued to complain, "It's Cardiff! It's…" he trailed as screams echoed through the night and he grinned as the girls laughter died, "That's more like it!" he exulted, tossing the newspaper over his shoulder and darting off.

Poppy and Rose exchanging a look before hitching the skirts of their dresses up above their ankles and running after him.

The three ran into the rapidly emptying theatre, Poppy and Rose gaping as they watched a blue gas-like substance zoom about the room whilst the Doctor grinned, "Fantastic!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm as he watched the phenomenon. He started for the stage and the man that was standing atop it, "Did you see where it came from?"

"Ah," the man focused on him, "The wag reveals himself, does he?" he chastised, "I trust you're satisfied, sir!"

The Doctor stared, slightly taken aback by the accusation by the irritated man whilst Poppy caught movement out of the corner of her eye and she turned her head to see an old man and young woman picking up the crumpled form of an elderly woman before they started hurrying for the doors, "Oi!" she shouted after them.

"Oi!" Rose echoed having spotted the same thing, "Leave her alone!" she exclaimed as her twin started after them.

"Oi! I'm talking to you two!" Poppy called after them, frowning as she picked up her pace as the two hurried on.

"Doctor, we'll get 'em!" Rose called over her shoulder as she hastened after her twin, frowning rather heavily herself.

"Be careful!" the Doctor called after them, before he leapt agilely up onto the stage, "Did it say anything?" he asked the man who was staring at him dubiously, "Can it speak?" he continued, "I'm the Doctor, by the way."

"Doctor?" the man questioned dubiously, eyeing him over critically, "You look more like a navy," he scoffed.

The Doctor frowned glancing down at his jumper, pinching the material between his fingers, before looking indignantly back up at the man, "What's wrong with this jumper?" he demanded to know. First Rose and Poppy and now him.

 ***O*O*O***

"Oi!" Poppy called as she raced down the steps, Rose trailing a few steps behind her, as the duo loaded the body into the back of a hearse, "What're you doing?!"

"Oh," the young woman turned to her, "It's a tragedy, miss. Don't worry yourself, me and the master will deal with it," she tried to assure as she attempted to bar Poppy from seeing inside the hearse, "The fact is, this poor lady's been taken with the brain fever and we have to get her to the infirmary."

Poppy arched a sceptical brow at the young woman, "She's far too pale to have any kind of fever," she refuted before she pushed the young woman aside and touched a hand to her forehead, "She's cold," she murmured with a disquieted frown before she checked for a pulse and her eyes widened with alarm, "She's dead!" she exclaimed as the young woman twisted her hands together fretfully, "What's going on?!" she demanded to know, frowning heavily as she turned to the young fretful woman, "What's happened?"

Rose eyes widened in alarm and paused in her hurried stride as the old man snuck up behind her twin, "Poppy?!" she cried in warning a second before the man had her, pressing a cloth over her the ginger's mouth and nose.

Poppy shifted, an elbow slamming back even as darkness encroached on her vision, her nose filled with a sickly sweet scent, struggling a bit uncoordinatedly, fighting to stay awake even as she mentally cursed herself for not paying more attention to the old man. She shifted a leg backwards to try and kick his legs out from under him, but her consciousness was already fading and she slumped as she succumbed to the chemicals she was breathing in.

"Oi!" Rose started forward again, marching swiftly across the snow covered street, heeled feet threatening to slip as the old man and young woman murmured lowly to each other as they moved to bundle Poppy into the back of the hearse, "Just what do you think you're doing to my sister?!" she demanded, "I said," she grabbed at the young woman's arm as she glowered, "Just what do you think you're doing… oi! Get off! Get off me, you…" she struggled briefly as the old man managed to get the chemical dampened cloth over her nose and mouth, before she slumped as she fell unconsciousness.

"Oh, Mr. Sneed," the young woman fretted, "What did you do that for?" she bemoaned again as her gaze flicked to the unconscious body of the first unfortunate woman already bundled into the hearse and then the blonde slumped in Sneed's arms.

"They've seen too much," Sneed replied shifting the slumped body in his arms, "Get her in the hearse!" he demanded, "Legs," and just as before the young woman bent, grabbing the unconscious woman's legs to get her bundled into the hearse along with her sister and the elderly dead woman they'd been chasing after.

 ***O*O*O***

"Gas!" the Doctor exclaimed as the zooming blue light made a sudden dive and entered one of the many gas lamps that illuminated the theatre, "It's made of gas!" he grinned as he jumped back off the stage and started back across the theatre to the doors. He stepped out of them and paused, his expression falling at the sight of Rose's blond head being shoved out of sight into the depths of the hearse by a young woman and Poppy nowhere in sight. He started down the steps as the young woman slammed the door shut and she and the old man with her hurried around it, "Poppy!" he shouted with alarm, breaking into a run as he tried to catch the hearse before it started off down the street, "Rose!"

"You're not escaping me, sir!" the man from the stage marched down the stairs after him, "What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm?" he demanded to know as the Doctor stared after the hearse as it drove away his companions inside of it, "Projection on glass, I suppose," the man hypothesised into the Doctor's stony silence, "Who put you up to it?"

The Doctor glanced at him irritated, "Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks," he waved him off impatiently eyes scanning the night and spotting a coach he swiftly started across the street towards it, "Oi, you!" he called to the driver as he yanked open the coach door and clambered inside, "Follow that hearse!"

"I can't do that, sir!" the driver protested.

"Why not?" the Doctor demanded impatiently, his eyes going to the hearse that was getting further and further away.

"Why not?!" the man huffed indignantly having followed the Doctor over to the stationary coach, drawing the Doctor's attention back to him, "I'll give you a very good reason why not! This is my coach!"

The Doctor, unwilling to argue any further with the man, impatience to be off simmering, swiftly reached out and grabbed him, "Well, get in then!" he demanded and yanked him up into the coach, "Move!" he shouted to the driver and in the next moment there was the crack of a whip and the coach lurched into motion, "Come on," the Doctor urged with impatience at what felt like a crawling pace, "You're losing them!"

"Everything in order, Mr. Dickens?" the driver called as the coach rumbled down the street, keeping the coach moving at a steady pace.

"No! It is not!" Dickens huffed.

Whilst the Doctor who'd been shifting about in his seat impatiently, stilled, distracted, "What did he say?" he asked, shocked.

"Let me say this first," the man rounded on his unwanted companion again, glowering with irritation, "I'm not without a sense of humour…" but he was cut off by the Doctor, who was staring at him with new eyes.

"Dickens?" the Time Lord questioned.

"Yes," Dickens nodded, eyeing him a little strangely.

"Charles Dickens?" the Doctor sought to confirm. It'd be embarrassing if he was mistaken… he'd done that before… "The Charles Dickens?" he persisted, a grin beginning to light up his expression once again.

"Shall I remove the gentleman, sir?" the driver called down again, a little concerned that he'd heard no more from the man who'd employed him.

"Charles Dickens! Your brilliant, you are! Completely 100% brilliant!" the Doctor gushed, grinning from ear to ear, "I've read 'em all! Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?"

"A Christmas Carol?" Dickens deduced.

The Doctor shook his head, "No, no, no, the one with the trains… The Signal Man, that's it, terrifying!" he exclaimed and Dickens couldn't help but be rather pleased by the praise, irritation fading as he smiled a bit smugly, "The best short story ever written!" the Doctor continued, "You're a genius!"

"You want me to get rid of him, sir?" the driver called again, still not hearing anything from Mr. Dickens.

"Er, no, I think he can stay," Dickens conceded.

"Honestly, Charles, can I call you Charles?" the Doctor asked and Dickens barely had time give a nod of agreement before the Doctor continued, "I'm such a big fan."

"…what? A what?" Dickens asked rather confused, once again eyeing the Doctor like he was more than just a little bit mad…

"Fan!" the Doctor exclaimed, still grinning, "Number One Fan, that's me," he explained without really explaining at all.

"How exactly are you a fan? In what way do you resemble a means to keep oneself cool?" Dickens demanded to know.

"No, it means 'Fanatic', devoted to," the Doctor expounded, his expression turning a bit thoughtful as he continued, "Mind you, I've gotta say, that American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit, what was that about?! Was that just padding or what?" he asked as Dickens started to frown again, "I mean it's rubbish that bit."

"I thought you said you were my fan," Dickens muttered, eyeing the man, disgruntled by him all over again.

"Ah well," the Doctor shrugged, "If you can't take criticism… go on, do the death of Little Nell, it cracks me up," he stated flippantly, "No, sorry," he muttered as his mind snapped back to the issue at hand realising that he'd become more distracted than he'd intended, "Come on, faster!" he shouted to the driver and they obligingly picked up a bit of speed.

"Who exactly is in that hearse?" Charles asked eyeing the Doctor with curiosity now.

"My friends," the Doctor replied, "They're only 19, and it's my fault. They're both in my care, and now they're both in danger."

Dickens started at him aghast, "Why are we wasting time talking about dry old books?" he demanded, "This is much more important," he turned calling up to the driver, "Driver! Be swift! The chase is on!"

"Yes, sir!" the driver complied, urging the horses on faster once again.

"Thatta boy, Charlie!" the Doctor exclaimed with delight as the coach jostled about with the increase of speed. This was more like it!

"Nobody calls me Charlie," Dickens told him, a bit bemused by the familiarity of the man's address.

"The ladies do," the Doctor replied.

Dickens narrowed his eyes on him, "How do you know that?"

"I told you…" the Doctor grinned, "I'm your Number One…"

"Number One Fan, yes…" Dickens muttered, eyeing the man who'd commandeered his coach a bit dubiously.

 ***O*O*O***

"The poor girls are still alive, sir!" Gwyneth fretted as she gripped her end of the woman, helping Mr. Sneed carry Rose into a room, "What're we going to do with them?" she asked they set her down on a table normally used for the dead, a short distance from where they'd laid out Poppy on an identical table.

"I don't know!" Sneed huffed, "I didn't plan any of this, did I?" he asked disgruntled, "It isn't my fault if the dead won't stay dead."

"Then whose fault is it, sir?" Gwyneth asked as she followed Sneed back towards the door, "Why is this happening to us?" she questioned as Sneed closed the door behind them, twisting a key in the lock. Locking the two young women in with the dead as the gas lamp flicked and ghostly ethereal voices whispered through the air.

"I did the Bishop a favour, once," Sneed muttered as they walked back through the corridor, taking his top hat off as he continued, "Made his nephew look like a cherub even though he'd been a fortnight in the weir. Perhaps he'll do us an exorcism on the cheap," master and servant paused looking up in alarm at the sound of a knock on the front door. Sneed turned back to Gwyneth, "Say I'm not in," he ordered, "Tell them we're closed. Just… just get rid of them," he turned and started back down the corridor whilst Gwyneth swallowed and continued on, heading towards the front door.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy slowly sat up, rubbing at her eyes groggily and grimacing at the unnatural heaviness of the feeling. She opened her eyes and glanced about the room she was in, her eyes almost immediately skimming over the coffins in the room as her gaze landed on her sister as she lay still unconscious, chest rising and falling softly with her breathes. Poppy shifted across the table she'd been placed on, stumbling a bit unsteadily to her feet and walked over to her, almost tripping over the ruffled hem of her skirts in her haste.

"Ro-Ro!" she called and reached out as her sister didn't react, grasping her by her shoulders and giving her small shake, "Ro-Ro!" she tried again whilst behind her a blue-gas like substance escaped from one of the gas lamps beside one of the coffins. It wended through the air, entering the lifeless body inside of it…

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor shifted a bit impatiently as Dickens picked up the doorknocker, rapping it against the solid wood of the Undertakers front door a second time. A moment later the door opened just enough for the maid to frame herself in the doorway as she peered out it at the two men that were staring back at her. She swallowed a bit nervously once again, "I'm sorry, sir," Gwyneth murmured uncomfortably, "We're closed."

"Nonsense!" Dickens scoffed, "Since when did an Undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule. I demand to see your master."

"He's not in, sir," Gwyneth insisted and moved to shut the door on them before either man could pose any more questions. Questions she didn't have a proper answer for.

Dickens shifted, pressing a hand against the door forcing it to remain open, glowering angrily at the young woman who stared up at him eyes wide with anxiety, "Don't lie to me, child!"

"I'm awful sorry, Mr. Dickens," Gwyneth tried nervously, "But the master's indisposed," she hated to think of just how disappointed Mr. Sneed would be if she failed to send the two gentlemen away like he'd asked.

Behind Gwyneth a gas lamp suddenly flared, drawing the attention of the Doctor and Dickens. The Time Lord looked back to Gwyneth, "Having trouble with your gas?" he asked and Gwyneth shifted anxiously in the doorway.

"What the Shakespeare is going on?" Dickens demanded as he eyed the oddly flaring lamp, perplexed and irritated.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose groaned and Poppy helped her into a sitting position as the blond shifted groggily, "You alright?"

Rose gave a nod and grimaced, "My head feels all…" she made an 'ick' gesture with a hand as she rubbed at her eyes with the other.

"Yeah. Mine too…" Poppy muttered, before a strange groaning sound came from one of the coffins and Poppy looked up whilst Rose shifted on the table turning so she could see, their gazes landing on the body of a dead man sitting up in his coffin. He made a groaning sound again as the three stared at each other.

"Oh, you're kidding me…!" Rose gaped, staring uneasily as the man shifted in the coffin groaning again as he clambered out of it.

"Yeah…" Poppy swallowed as Rose got to her feet and the man started shambling step towards them, "Not kidding."

The two turned and ran for the door, trying to get it open, "Oh, bleedin' hell!" Poppy cursed as she jiggled the handle of the locked door.

They glanced behind them at the dead man that was still shambling slowly towards them, groaning, before turning back to the door with alarm…

 ***O*O*O***

"You're not allowed inside, sir!" Gwyneth protested startled as the Doctor brushed past her, ignoring her entirely as he walked over to the wall and pressed his ear against it.

"There's something inside the walls," the Doctor murmured as he listened intently, "The gas pipes. Something's living inside the gas."

 ***O*O*O***

"Ooh, this is so not funny!" Poppy groaned as the elderly woman that had been taken from the theatre clambered out of a second coffin joining the man in shambling slowly towards them, before she turned back to the door and yanked on it aggressively.

Rose snatched up a vase and lobbed it towards the advancing dead, only for the projectile to merely make the man stumble slightly before shambling on, "Oh my God," she breathed before she whirled back to the door and Poppy who was still yanking on it, "Get it open!" she shouted frantically, "Get it open!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Poppy shouted back throwing her weight against the door desperately making it rattle but otherwise remain unmoving, she glanced back at the two advancing dead as she rattled the handle again.

 ***O*O*O***

Gwyneth closed her eyes in dismay as the shouts of the two women locked deeper in the house reached them. Whilst the Doctor paused in what he was doing, ear lifting from the wall, "That's them," and he took off running in the direction the shouts were coming from, Dickens running after him.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy glanced back at the advancing dead as they slowly staggered closer and closer, "Keep trying!" she told her sister as she turned from the door to face them.

"What are you gonna do?!" Rose asked anxiously as she turned to look at Poppy.

The ginger shook her head as she eyed the two that were shambling closer, honestly not entirely sure, "If I have too… hold 'em off," she replied as she stepped forward a couple of paces to give herself some room, just in case she did end up needing it. Though she was kind of hoping that she wouldn't need to. She wasn't dressed for any kind of fight… but she'd make it work. If she had too.

Rose nodded eyes flicking anxiously to the advancing dead before she turned back to the door and started yanking on it as she shouted, "Please, please, let us out!"

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor raced down the corridor towards the alarmed voices of his companions, running right past old Mr. Sneed, barely sparing him a glance as the man gaped after him, "How dare you, sir!" Sneed exclaimed before turning to Dickens as he came running down the corridor towards him, "This is my house!"

"Shut up!" Dickens demanded as he ran past him too.

Sneed gaped, before he turned to Gwyneth who'd been following the two gentlemen down the corridor and wagged a scolding finger at her, "I told you!" she cast him a helpless look before continuing on Sneed huffing under his breath as he went after the two men intruding into his home as well.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose glanced anxiously over her shoulder at her sister and the dead that were staggering closer, getting fairly close to her sister. The corpse of the young man reached out a hand towards her and Poppy shifted her stance, adjusting it, getting ready to quickly kick off her heels so that they'd be one less thing hampering her movements.

Rose turned her attention back to the door hammering a hand against it desperately, "Let us out! Somebody open the door!" she yanked at the handle again, "Open the door!"

"Move away from the door!" the Doctor's voice called back and Poppy couldn't help but risk glancing back over her shoulder at that, seeing Rose quickly sidestepping away from the door. The ginger jerked her head back as icy cold fingers brushed against her cheek and she raised an arm knocking his aside in a quick move, a second before the door to the room was kicked open and the Doctor was stepping into the room.

"I think this my dance," the Doctor stated, his eyes on the animated dead as he reached for Poppy and pulled her back from them, his arm about her waist as Dickens stepped into the room behind them.

"It's a prank!" the writer stated as he stared with disbelief at the two corpses that were stood before them.

"It doesn't feel like a prank," Poppy muttered as she brushed a hand over her cheek where the icy cold fingers of the young dead man had touched her, the sensation of it lingering on her skin a bit eerily.

"It must be," Dickens insisted still eyeing the dead stood before them, "We're under some mesmeric influence," he reasoned.

"No, we're not," the Doctor stated as Rose came to stand on the other side of him, "The dead are walking," he glanced at Poppy and grinned, "Hi!"

"Hi!" Poppy replied as she turned her head to look at him, "Good timing," she couldn't help but smile back, his grin rather infectious.

"I have fantastic timing," the Doctor agreed before turning to look at Rose, "Hi!"

"Hi!" Rose responded, tearing her eyes from the dead to look at him briefly before her gaze went to the man standing behind him, "Who's your friend?"

"Charles Dickens," the Doctor replied as he turned his eyes back to the dead that had yet to make another move since he'd kicked in the door.

Poppy glanced back at the man, eyes a little wide with surprise, before she looked to the Doctor again, "Really?"

"Really," the Doctor confirmed.

"Ok," Rose murmured, swallowing as she focused back on the dead that was staring at them rather disquietingly in her opinion.

"My names the Doctor. Who are you, then?" the Time Lord questioned, eyeing the walking dead curiously, "What do you want?"

The man opened his mouth and voices that sounded like they were coming from somewhere in the ether spoke, "We're failing. Open the rift, we're dying. Trapped in this form, cannot sustain, help us!" the voices pleaded, before both the elderly woman and the young man's heads were forced back, tilting up towards the ceiling as the gas-like entity possessing their bodies were expelled with a wailing scream, filled with pain and suffering as the possessing force left and the two once again lifeless corpses crumpled to the floor as the gas-like beings zoomed back through the air returning to the gas lamps they'd come from.

"So…" Poppy blinked down at the crumpled still forms of the dead, her brows quirked a bit perplexed, "Not zombies, then…?"

"No," the Doctor agreed as he eyed the still forms brows high on his forehead before he glanced up at the gas lamps the blue gas-like light had disappeared into, "More of a possession I'd say…" he paused and glanced at Poppy who'd turned her head to look at him at that, "Not demonic," he stated and smirked slightly as she pouted, just the tiniest bit.

"So what, then?" Poppy asked and Rose tore her eyes from the still lifeless dead, a bit more assured that they weren't going to start moving again to look at the Doctor with curiosity.

The Doctor frowned thoughtfully, "Some kind of gas creature," he murmured and Dickens let out a derisive scoff that went ignored as the Time Lord turned, eyes immediately going to the old man standing in the doorway. The same old man he'd run past, "You," he started towards the still indignant man, "You said this was your house."

"Yes it is, and you are intruding, sir!" Sneed blustered.

"Fantastic," the Doctor ignored him, grinning a bit at Sneed as he started helping him back down the corridor, "I've got some questions for you."

"But I…" Sneed tried as Poppy, Rose and Dickens followed the Doctor out of the room and down the corridor, "I don't know anything… I…"

The Doctor ignoring Sneed and his blustering completely, glanced at the young maid who'd answered the door, "And you are?"

"Gwyneth, sir," she replied as she followed after her master, hands clasped together in front of her anxiously.

"I think my friends could do with a spot of tea, Gwyneth," the Doctor suggested glancing back at them, taking in their slightly pale complexions, "If you don't mind."

"I…" Gwyneth swallowed and nodded glancing at the two unfortunate women she'd had a hand in kidnapping, "Of course, sir," she bobbed a small curtsy and hurried off towards the kitchen as Sneed blustered again about it being his house as the Time Lord continued to guide him effortlessly along the corridor.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy stood with her arms crossed, her back to the parlour fire place. The crackling flames warming her back as they licked against the wood. Her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed on Mr. Sneed, glowering at him, as her twin tore strips off him with her tongue. Her fingers digging into her arms as she fought the urge to lay into the man herself. She'd already disappointed her Sensei once that night already by not paying enough attention to her surroundings earlier, letting the old man get the best of her. Something she could have avoided had she been paying attention. She didn't want to do it again by giving into the simmering burn of her anger.

"First of all, you drug my sister and me!" Rose glowered at Sneed as he stared up at her from where he was sitting on a sofa, rather taken aback, "Then you kidnap us, and," the blond jabbed an accusatory finger at him, "Don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man!"

The Doctor sniggered in amusement at the man's predicament before he found himself glancing at Poppy, eyeing her darkening expression and he straightened up from his lean and stepped away from the wall by the fireplace mantle to stand beside her, "Surprised you aren't over there having a go at him too," he murmured with amusement.

Poppy grimaced, "Better if I don't," she muttered glancing at him, "Not sure I'd be able to refrain from punching him if I went over there," she narrowed her eyes on Mr. Sneed again, "His hands really did have a quick wander," she groused, jaw clenching as she recalled the feeling and her fingers dug into the flesh of her arms as she tightened her grip on them, "Dirty old codger!" she groused.

"I won't be spoken to like this!" Sneed tried, affronted at being spoken to in such a way and by a woman no less.

"Then you stuck us in a room full of zombies!" Rose exclaimed, continuing like he hadn't spoken as she glowered at him, "And if that ain't enough, you swan off!" she jabbed her finger at him accusingly again, "And leave us to die! So come on, talk!"

"It's not my fault, it's this house!" Sneed cried despondently, "It's always had a reputation. Haunted," he explained, "But I never had much bother until a few months back, and then the stiffs…" he trailed at the mildly offended look he received from Dickens at his callousness, "The er, dearly departed started getting restless."

"Tommyrot," Dickens scoffed.

"You witnessed it!" Mr. Sneed objected, "Can't keep the beggars down, Sir! They walk. And it's the queerest thing that they hang on to scraps…"

Gwyneth approached the fireplace where Poppy and the Doctor where standing a cup of tea in each hand, "Just milk for you, miss," she murmured as she gave one of the cups to Poppy, "And, two sugars, sir," Gwyneth handed the second cup to the Doctor, "Just how you like it," she murmured without really thinking and walked away again to continue her duties, missing the curious looks the two gave her retreating form.

Poppy took a sip of hers and blinked surprised. The Doctor glanced at her, "What?"

Poppy glanced at him, "It really is exactly how I like it," she mused, "Right down to the temperature."

The Doctor glanced down at his own cup and took a sip, before giving a nod, his too. Exactly as he liked it.

"One old fella," Sneed continued insistently as he stared at the disbelieving Dickens, "Who used to be a sexton almost walked into his own memorial service! Just like the old lady going to your performance, sir! Just as she planned."

"Morbid fancy," Dickens waved him off.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at the man's stubbornness and in disappointment in the brilliant man's seeming narrow mindedness, "Oh, Charles you were there."

"I saw nothing but an illusion," Dickens insisted.

"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time," the Doctor demanded, his patience waning, "Just shut up," he said tersely as he shifted setting his tea down on the fireplace mantle before he turned back to Sneed ignoring the stunned look on the writers face as he pressed for more information from the home owner, "What about the gas?"

"That's new, sir. Never seen anything like that," Sneed admitted.

The Doctor nodded, "Means it's getting stronger, the rifts getting wider and something's sneaking through."

"What's the rift?" Rose questioned.

"A weak point in time and space," the Doctor explained, "A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories."

Poppy's brows quirked upwards as she eyed him with curiosity, "Really?"

"Well," the Doctor hedged, "Most of the time," he adjusted as Dickens got to his feet and started across the room towards the door.

"That's how I got the house so cheap," Sneed exclaimed in wide eyed realisation as Dickens walked out the door closing it behind him, "Stories going back generations. Echoes in the dark," Sneed explained with a disquieted frown, "Queer songs in the air and this feeling like a… shadow. Passing over your soul. Mind you," his tone lightened slightly, "Truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine."

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor watched from the doorway of the room Sneed had locked Poppy and Rose in, leaning against the doorframe his arms crossed as Dickens poked and prodded around the coffin of one of the deceased that had risen, "Checking for strings?"

"Wires, perhaps?" Dickens replied glancing at the Doctor as he continued to fumble his hands under the coffin, frowning as he glanced away again as he continued his search, "There must be some mechanism behind this fraud!"

"Oh, come on, Charles," the Doctor sighed as he straightened up and uncrossed his arms as he stepped into the room, walking towards the other man turned from the coffin to look at him, "Alright, I shouldn't have told you to shut up," the Doctor conceded, placing a hand on Dickens shoulder, "I'm sorry. But you've got one of the bests minds in the world. You saw those gas creatures."

Dickens shook his head, "I cannot accept that."

"And what does the human body do when it decomposes?" the Doctor questioned and Dickens turned his eyes back to the body in the coffin brow furrowed in thought, "It breaks down and produces gas," the Doctor continued, "Perfect home for these gas things. They can slip inside and use it as a vehicle, just like your driver and his coach."

"Stop it!" Dickens exclaimed trying to shake the idea of it being more than a clever trick out of his head before he paused, "Can it be that I have the world entirely wrong?"

"Not wrong," the Doctor assured, "Just more to learn."

"I've always railed against the fantasies," Dickens told him, "Oh, I loved an illusion as much as the next man, revelled in them, but that's exactly what they were. Illusions!" he exclaimed, "The real world is something else. I dedicated myself to that. Injustices. Great social causes. I hoped that I was a force for good. Now you tell me that the real world is a realm of spectres and jack o' lanterns. In which case – have I wasted my brief span here, Doctor? Has it all been for nothing?"

 ***O*O*O***

Gwyneth lit a gas lamp in the kitchen for some much needed light and turned, her eyes widening with alarm at seeing Poppy and Rose in the kitchen starting the washing up, "Please, misses, you shouldn't be helping!" she started over to them, "It's not right!" she insisted.

"It's fine," Poppy soothed glancing at her with a smile.

"Don't be daft," Rose agreed.

"We insist," Poppy told her as she picked up a cloth to start drying dishes, "No harm in giving you a bit of a rest."

"Sneed works you to death," Rose nodded.

"But… uh," Poppy continued eyeing Gwyneth's alarmed expression at the very idea, "You can put away if you like," she said holding out a dried dish and smiled as Gwyneth relaxed ever so slightly as she took the dish from her.

"How much do you get paid?" Rose questioned in the next moment, eyeing Gwyneth herself. The house wasn't small and she'd yet to see any other help about the place.

"Eight pound a year, miss," Gwyneth replied easily and the twins stilled.

"How much?" Rose blinked dumbfounded at how happy Gwyneth seemed over her yearly wage.

"I know," Gwyneth smiled a bit wider, misunderstanding the shock in Rose's tone, "I would've been happy with six," she divulged.

"Well…" Poppy murmured as she went back to drying, shaking off her own lingering shock, "As long as your happy."

"I am, miss," Gwyneth replied as she set the dish in its place on a rack for her to wheel away and to put in its cupboard later, and accepted the next one.

"So," Rose changed the subject as she too went back to helping with the clean-up, "Did you go to school or what?"

"Of course I did," Gwyneth nodded, before peering at Rose, "What do you think I am, an urchin? I went every Sunday, nice and proper."

"What," Rose blinked surprised all over again, "Once a week?"

"Must've been nice," Poppy mused, glancing at Gwyneth again as she moved the drying cloth over another dish.

"We did sums and everything," Gwyneth nodded, before peering about a bit cautiously and lowering her voice, "To be honest, I hated every second."

"Me too," Rose smiled.

"Used to count the minutes," Poppy agreed, before the three of them laughed lightly.

"Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go and ran on the heath all on my own!" Gwyneth admitted.

"Oh, we did plenty of that," Rose grinned, "I used to go to the shops with my mate Shareen whilst Poppy covered for me."

"And I'd go with my mate Lucy," Poppy added with a grin of her own as Gwyneth giggled at how outrageous it all was, "Less suspicious if we didn't skip together."

"We used to go look at boys!" Rose grinned.

Gwyneth went quiet, scandalised as she stared at the two women, "Well, I don't know much about that, miss," she murmured uncomfortably and turned back to the dish in her hand, putting it on the rack.

"Come on," Rose insisted lightly, eyeing Gwyneth, "Times haven't changed that much! I bet you've done the same."

"I don't think so, miss," Gwyneth murmured, not looking at her.

"Gwyneth! You can tell us!" Rose persisted and grinned a friendly grin, "I bet you've got your eye on someone."

"Even if she does, she doesn't have to say," Poppy nudged her twin as Gwyneth shuffled her feet a little shyly.

Gwyneth glanced at them with a small smile, "I suppose," she started a bit hesitantly, "There is one lad…" Rose grinned rather pleased and Poppy gave her a grin of her own and made a small 'go on' gesture of encouragement, "The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday," Gwyneth smiled, a light flush to her cheeks, "Such a lovely smile on him!"

"I like a nice smile," Rose nodded, and grinned a bit cheekily, "Good smile, nice bum."

"Those," Poppy mused as she nodded in agreement, "And good hands," she grinned just as cheekily as Rose, "I like a man with good hands."

"Nimble fingers," Rose nodded.

"Well, I have never heard the like!" Gwyneth exclaimed shocked and the twins laughed, Gwyneth soon followed, shaking her head a bit perplexed by the two of them.

"Ask him out!" Rose insisted as their laughter died down, before continuing as Gwyneth gave her another shocked look, "Give him a cup of tea or something," she suggested helpfully, "That's a start."

Gwyneth shook her head, "I swear it's the strangest thing," she murmured eyeing the two well dressed women, "You've both got all the clothes and the breeding, but you both talk like some sort of wild things."

"Maybe we are," Rose shrugged, "Maybe that's a good thing. You need a bit more in your life than Mr. Sneed."

"Oh, now that's not fair," Gwyneth defended the man, "He's not so bad, old Sneed," Poppy raised a sceptical brow, "He was very kind to me to take me in. Because I lost my mum and dad to the flu when I was 12."

"Oh, sorry," Poppy and Rose murmured their expressions falling with sympathy for her loss.

"Thank you," Gwyneth murmured before smiling slightly, "But I'll be with them again, one day, sitting with them in paradise. I should be so blessed. They're waiting for me. Maybe your dad's up there waiting for the two of you too," she offered kindly.

"It's possible…" Poppy trailed with a bit of a nod.

"Maybe…" Rose agreed with a nod of her own, "Um…" she eyed Gwyneth, "Who told you our dad was dead?"

Gwyneth's eyes widened with realisation of what she'd said and whirled back around, focusing once more on the washing up, "I don't know," she murmured as lightly as she could manage, "Must've been the Doctor."

"He doesn't know," Poppy murmured and glanced at her twin who shook her head, "We haven't told him."

"We've only really just met him…" Rose continued, peering at Gwyneth once more, "And our father died years back."

Gwyneth turned back to them, her eyes focusing on Rose, "But you've been thinking about him lately, more than ever."

"I s'pose so…" Rose murmured.

Poppy glanced at her twin with mild concern, "You have?"

Rose glanced at her too, "You haven't?" and Poppy shook her head in the negative still eyeing her twin with concern. Rose turned her eyes back to Gwyneth peering at her with disquieted curiosity, "How do you know all this?"

"Mr. Sneed says I think too much," Gwyneth murmured, "I'm all alone down here. I bet you've got dozens of servants, haven't you, miss?"

"Nah," Poppy shook her head as they laughed again.

"No, no servants where we're from," Rose confirmed as Gwyneth turned to them completely again, eyeing them.

"And you've both come such a long way," she murmured, her eyes widening slightly in surprise at what she was seeing.

"What makes you think so?" Rose asked, glancing at Poppy, the two exchanging a brief look.

"You're both from London," Gwyneth murmured, "I've seen London in drawings, but never like that," she stared at the blond intently as her mind continued to fill with strange things… "All those people rushing around half-naked, for shame. And the noise… and the metal boxes racing past…" her intent gaze flicked to Poppy as more and more images flooded to her, "And birds in the sky… they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People flying. And you… you - you've both flown so far, further than anyone!" she exclaimed, "The things you've seen… the darkness… the big bad wolf…"

Poppy's brow furrowed slightly, "Big bad wolf?"

Gwyneth staggered back a hand going to her forehead, fear in her eyes, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, miss!" she pleaded.

"S'alright…" Rose assured,

"It's fine…" Poppy agreed, "It's… are you alright?" she asked with concern as Gwyneth slowly lowered her hand from her forehead.

"I can't help it ever since I was a little girl," Gwyneth said in a fearful rush as she eyed Poppy and Rose, the two them staring with concern, "My mum said I had the sight," she explained, "She told me to hide it!"

"But it's getting stronger," the Doctor interjected, surprising the three, making them jump, their heads turning to see the Time Lord standing in the doorway of the kitchen, "More powerful, is that right?"

"All the time, sir. Every night. Voices in my head," Gwyneth replied, a little uncertain as she stared at him.

"You grew up on top of the rift," the Doctor murmured with realisation, "You're part of it. You're the key."

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir," Gwyneth assured, "Consulted with spiritualists, table wrappers, all sorts."

"Well, that should help," the Doctor remarked, "You can show us what to do."

"What to do, sir?" Gwyneth asked with a bit of confusion.

"We're going to have a séance," he announced cheerily earning looks from all three women.

 ***O*O*O***

"This is how Madam Mortlock summons those from the Land of Mists. Down in Mid Town," Gwyneth explained as they all sat at a circular table back in Sneed's parlour, "Come we must all join hands," she instructed.

Poppy felt the Doctor's right hand touch her left and she shifted her hand grasping it in return as she took hold of Sneed's with her right. Whilst Rose who was sitting on the other side of Sneed took his right hand and was reaching for Dickens' left when the writer abruptly stood from the table, unable to maintain his uneasy silence any longer, "I can't take part in this."

"Humbug," the Doctor retorted easily, "Come on, open mind," he chided jovially whilst giving the writer a pointed look.

Dickens shook his head adamantly, "This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I try to un-mask. Séances?" he scoffed, "Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl," he gestured at Gwyneth, "Knows nothing."

"Now don't antagonize her. I love a happy medium," the Doctor punned lightly.

"Oh, you didn't," Poppy groaned.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" the Doctor questioned and then grinned as Poppy shook her head with amusement.

"I can't believe you just said that," Rose muttered, pulling a face, even as her lips quirked up with amusement.

"Come on," the Doctor urged, his attention returning to Dickens who was still standing, "We might need you," and with reluctance Dickens seated himself again. This time he took his neighbours hands, "Good man," the Doctor beamed a grin, before turning his attention back to Gwyneth who was waiting patiently, one of her hands now clasped in Dickens', whilst the other was clasped in the Doctor's, "Now, Gwyneth, reach out," the Time Lord instructed.

Gwyneth nodded her agreement, before she looked upward, picking a spot across from her as she focused, attempting to reach, using what she'd seen done before she spoke, "Speak to us. Are you there? Spirits?"

Dickens rolled his eyes and huffed out a low scoffing breath, fully expecting nothing beyond the cheap mummery he'd seen done in other such workings.

"Come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden," Gwyneth tried again and this time whispered murmurings filled the air around them.

Rose glanced about a bit nervously, "Can you hear that?" she asked.

Poppy nodded, her hands tightening about those she had a grasp of, "Yeah," she muttered feeling the fine hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stand on end as the whispers seemed to curl through the air about them from everywhere.

"Nothing can happen!" Dickens insisted, "This is sheer folly."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure this is something," Poppy murmured, her eyes locked on Gwyneth and Dickens scoffed.

"Look at her," Rose gestured at Gwyneth with her head and Dickens focused his gaze on the young maid and his eyes widened.

"I feel them. I feel them!" Gwyneth exclaimed with a small happy smile. The gaseous beings started to take form in the room, gliding about the air above the table.

"What are they saying?" Rose urged.

"They can't get through the rift," the Doctor stated and stared intently at the maid, "Gwyneth, it's not controlling you, you're controlling it. Now look deep. Allow them through," he urged.

"I can't!" Gwyneth cried, her voice straining with the effort of trying to force contact with the beings that were struggling to take shape.

"Yes, you can," the Doctor urged instantly and Poppy glanced at him, "Just believe it. I have faith in you."

"Doctor?" Poppy murmured, brow furrowing ever so slightly with concern as she glanced from the straining Gwyneth to him.

The Doctor squeezed her hand reassuringly as he glanced at her briefly before refocusing on Gwyneth, "Make the link."

Gwyneth expression contorted as she concentrated, pushing on relentlessly, determined to help those who were lost… her head suddenly lowered, before her eyes snapped open as she raised her head again, "Yes," she murmured as three blue gas-like people sized figures shimmered into being behind her.

Dickens' gaped in shock as he stared at the three in wide-eyed disbelief and Mr. Sneed who remained silent, willing to take part if only to set his house to rights again, gasped, his own eyes wide with shock, "Great God," he breathed not sure if he was more awed or horrified at such an ungodly thing happening in his house, "Spirits from the other side!"

"The other side of the universe," the Doctor corrected a bit absently as he stared at the three figures curiously.

"Pity us!" the figures cried, their voices that of children as they used Gwyneth to speak, "Pity the Gelth!" they cried with desperation, "There is so little time, help us!"

"What do you want us to do?" the Doctor asked, staring at the gaseous figures.

"The rift," the Gelth cried without missing a beat, "Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge," they urged.

"What for?" the Doctor queried with a small frown.

"We are so few," the Gelth cried pitiably, "The last of our kind. We face extinction."

The Doctor stiffened, his hand unintentionally tightening about Poppy's, making the ginger glance at him and she tightened her hand about his in return, "Why, what happened?" he asked more urgently now.

"Once we had physical form like you. But then the war came," the Gelth cried.

Dickens broke his silence as his confusion grew, "War? What war?"

"The Time War," the Gelth responded and the Doctor, Poppy and Rose exchanged a look before the Gelth continued, "The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms," they cried, "Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state."

"So that's why you need the corpses," the Doctor murmured with realization, his mind spinning rapidly and his hand loosening around Poppy's.

"We want to stand tall. To feel the sunlight. To live again. We need a physical form, and your dead are abandoned. They're going to waste, give them to us!" the Gelth pleaded.

"But we can't!" Rose exclaimed as she stared aghast.

The Doctor tore his gaze from the ghostly forms to stare at Rose with conviction, "Why not?" he questioned.

"It's not… I mean, it's not…" Rose floundered she really hadn't been expecting to be questioned on it.

"Not decent? Not polite?" the Doctor cut her off disinterested in her argument as the blond eyed him incredulously.

"Well, it's certainly not _something_!" Poppy muttered, eyeing the Doctor her brows quirked at him a bit incredulously.

"It could save their lives," the Doctor insisted adamantly eyeing his two companions with a level unwavering stare.

Poppy looked away glancing at her twin before her eyes returned to the ethereal figures behind Gwyneth, teeth sinking into her lower lip.

"Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth!" they urged, before the tenuous connection broke and Gwyneth's eyes rolled back into her head as she collapsed back against the back of her chair, out cold.

"Gwyneth!" Poppy and Rose exclaimed, getting up out of their chairs and rushing around the table to check on her.

"All true," Dickens gasped, gaping at the spot the Gelth had been.

"Gwyneth?" Poppy tried.

"Are you ok?" Rose tried.

"It's all true," Dickens muttered whilst, the Doctor remained silent as the room burst into motion around him, his expression solemn and eyes old and pained. His thoughts in the moment a universe away.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy dabbed at Gwyneth's forehead as she lay, unconscious still, on the chaise longue in Sneed's parlour, whilst behind her Rose paced back and forth, shooting the Doctor irate looks as she did, something which the Time Lord ignored with ease as he leaned against a wall, body tense, as he stared off into space, ignoring the room at large for the moment, though his eyes snapped to Poppy and Gwyneth when the ginger spoke. Whilst Rose paused in her pacing and turned to face the chaise lounge.

"Oh, hold on," Poppy murmured as Gwyneth stirred trying to sit up, steadying her with her hands, "Take it easy. How are you feeling?"

Gwyneth focused her eyes on her, "But my angels, miss," she murmured ignoring her question as she sat up a bit more, "They came, didn't they? They need me?"

The Doctor nodded, straightening up from his lean and shifting away from the wall, "They do need you Gwyneth. You're there only chance for survival," he told her and earned himself another irate look from Rose.

"I've told you!" the blond snarled as she turned back around, rounding on him again, "Leave her alone! She's exhausted and she's not fighting your battles!" she growled and the Doctor sighed out an irritated breath as he stepped back and leaned against the wall again, heavier than before. Rose turned back to Poppy and Gwyneth, her expression softening, "Here," she held out a glass to her sister, "She should try and drink this."

Poppy nodded, glancing briefly at the Doctor taking in his impatient expression as he leaned, his arms crossed now. She took the glass from her sister with a low sigh and a small uneasy furrow to her brow, before turning to Gwyneth and offered her a small but warm smile, "You should try and drink something," she urged gently as she held it out to the other woman, who took it a little reluctantly.

"Well, what did you say, Doctor?" Sneed broke the awkward heavy silence. Still rather confused by the entire thing, "Explain it again. What are they?"

The Doctor focused his gaze on Sneed and straightened up for a second time with a sigh, "Aliens," he reiterated.

Sneed frowned, "Like… foreigners, you mean."

The Doctor shrugged willing to go with it, if it helped the man understand, "Pretty foreign, yeah. From up there," he pointed upwards.

Mr. Sneed stared at him, "Brecon?" he guessed, it was the farthest he could imagine someone coming from.

"Close," the Doctor replied with a shrug as Poppy stood and turned to look at him, listening intently as he explained again, "And they've been trying to get through from Brecon to Cardiff but the road's blocked. Only a few can get through and even then they're weak. They can only test drive the bodies for so long, then they revert to gas and hide in the pipes."

"Which is why they need the girl," Dickens murmured.

"They're not having her!" Rose exclaimed, bristling.

"But she can help," the Doctor insisted.

"Did you miss the part were 'helping' knocked her unconscious?" Poppy questioned sarcastically as she eyed the Doctor with a frown.

The Doctor stared at her a moment, eyes meeting, before he looked to Gwyneth, "You're alright, aren't you, Gwyneth?"

"Yes, sir," Gwyneth nodded, a bit of a headache but nothing she wasn't willing to endure for her angels.

The Doctor nodded his gaze going back to Poppy, "See? She's fine," he turned his eyes away again whilst Poppy gaped at him. He'd half missed her point! "Living right on the rift," the Doctor continued, "She's become part of it. She can open it up, make a bridge and let them through."

"Incredible," Dickens breathed despite himself, "Ghosts that are not ghosts but beings from another world, who can only exist in ours by inhabiting cadavers."

"Good system," the Doctor nodded and smiled, "It might work."

"No," Poppy pinched the bridge of her nose, "It won't," she sighed.

The Doctor focused on her again, a brow arching at her as he met her gaze again with a flat but level stare, "Why not?"

"Because you can't let them run around inside of dead people!" Rose all but snarled before Poppy could respond.

The Doctor shrugged gaze flicking to her again, completely unmoved by her anger, "It's like recycling."

"It's not as easy as that!" Poppy exclaimed, staring at the Time Lord with incredulity, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Yes, it is," he refuted.

"Seriously though, you can't!" Rose glared at him harshly.

"Seriously though, I can," the Doctor insisted without missing a beat.

"It's just… wrong!" Rose tried aggravated, "Those bodies were living people! We should respect them even in death!"

"Do you carry a donor card?" the Doctor asked pointedly.

"That different, that's…" Rose trailed.

"It different yeah," he nodded, "It's a different morality. You both need to get used to it or go home," he stated firmly.

Poppy swallowed against the small flash of hurt and rubbed at her forehead in exasperation as she eyed his stony expression, before she shook her head arms crossing defensively, "I don't like it," she muttered.

"Yes, I'm hearing that," the Doctor retorted, "But you heard what they said," he continued his voice softening slightly as he eyed Poppy's and Rose's uneasy expressions, "Time's short. I can't worry about a few corpses when the last of the Gelth could be dying."

"And I'm not saying that I don't care…" Poppy began only to be cut off by her twin who was glowering at the Time Lord.

"Well, I don't," the blond huffed, "I don't care," she reiterated adamantly as the Doctor gave her a look and Poppy glanced at her, Rose's chin jutting out stubbornly as she attempted to stare the Doctor down, "They're not using her!"

"Don't I get a say, miss?" Gwyneth asked, finally breaking her silence, earning the rooms attention.

"Of course you do," Poppy replied with a nod and a small slightly strained smile, "We're just worried about you."

"And, I appreciate that, miss," Gwyneth murmured, "But…"

"But," Rose cut in, shooting her sister a look before focusing on Gwyneth again, trying to be as gentle as possible as she said, "You don't understand what's going on."

"You would say that, miss," Gwyneth nodded as she focused on Rose, "Because that's very clear inside your head, that you think I'm stupid."

Rose shifted uncomfortably, glancing at her twin again who was glancing at her in turn brows quirked at her, she turned back to Gwyneth, "That's not fair!"

"It's true though. Things might be very different where you and your sister are from. But here and now, I know my own mind," Gwyneth stated with confidence, "And my Angels' need me," she turned her eyes to the Time Lord, "Doctor, what do I have to do?" she asked, her face set with determination.

"You don't have to do anything," the Doctor assured her.

Gwyneth gave him a look full of her determination and love for her Angels, "They've been singing to me since I was a child. Sent by my mum on a holy mission. So, tell me," she urged.

The Doctor smiled at her, relieved that she was happy to help, having been half worried that she wouldn't, "We need to find the rift," he stated, before approaching Mr. Sneed who was standing close to Dickens, "This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mr. Sneed. What's the weakest part of this house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?" he described as clearly as he possibly could for the man.

"That would be the morgue," Mr. Sneed replied not even needing to think about it for longer than a second.

Rose frowned still rather disgruntled by it all, "No chance you were gonna say 'gazebo', was there?" she groaned.

Poppy shook her head, "Nope," she sighed still not all that happy herself, ignoring the looks that the two of them where receiving, "None," she muttered, her brow furrowed slightly with her unease. Her own moral compass aside and personal feelings about the Gelth using the bodies of the dead to live in… she just couldn't see how it would work in the long run. She couldn't see many people if any being happy or at ease with the dead walking among them, with creatures. The Gelth inhabiting the bodies of their deceased loved ones. So… what kind of life would the Gelth lead if Gwyneth managed to open the rift and let them through…?

 ***O*O*O***

"Urgh!" the Doctor groused as he opened the door to the morgue and stepped inside, "Talk about Bleak House."

"It's the morgue," Poppy retorted as she followed him in, glancing about the space taking in the white sheets covering the bodies of the recently dearly departed laid out on tables, "What where you expecting?" she glanced at him, "A red carpet?" she snarked lowly.

"Just because it's a morgue doesn't mean it has to be bleak," the Doctor replied as he turned to look at her.

"The thing is Doctor," Rose said as she came up beside Poppy unable to help trying again, "The Gelth don't succeed. 'Cos I know they don't. I know for a fact there weren't corpses walking around in 1869."

"At least, not according to history," Poppy agreed as she rubbed at her arms as a chill seemed to enter the gloomy morgue, "And I think something like that would have been documented."

The Doctor shrugged a bit carelessly as he stared at them, "Time's in flux. It's changing every second," he explained, "Your cosy little world could be rewritten like that," he clicked his fingers together as an example, "Nothing is safe. Remember that. Nothing."

Poppy swallowed, brow furrowing slightly again, hands still rubbing over her arms, "Really not comforting," she muttered.

"Good," the Doctor nodded, eyeing her, "It wasn't meant to be," he stated.

"Doctor, I think the room is getting colder," Dickens called as he shivered against the chill despite his suit jacket.

Rose swallowed as the Gelth began to enter the room, expelling themselves from the gas lamp by the door, "Here they come," she muttered as she followed their progress with her eyes.

One came to a stop in an archway across the room from them, "You have come to help! Praise the Doctor! Praise him!" the childlike voice sang with joy.

"Promise you won't hurt her!" Rose demanded.

"Hurry! Please! So little time! Pity the Gelth," the Gelth pleaded, urgency and panic entering its young voice.

"That wasn't a promise," Poppy told it, frowning at the ethereal form that had appeared in the archway, "Is this going to hurt her?"

"Pity us!" the Gelth cried again with urgency, panic sharp in its tone, "We're failing! Pity the Gelth! Pity us!" it pleaded with urgent desperation.

The Doctor swallowed, hearts clenching in his chest at the sound of such a young child so afraid, a child that could be dying as they spoke, "I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies," he promised, "This isn't a permanent solution, alright?" he informed them, already thinking of what worlds he could take them too.

"My Angels. I can help them live," Gwyneth murmured her gaze transfixed to the Gelth in the archway.

"Ok, where's the weak point?" the Doctor asked.

"Here beneath the arch," came the Gelth's quick response and without hesitation Gwyneth moved towards it with steady steps.

Poppy swallowed, "Be careful," she called with concern and Gwyneth paused.

The young maid turned, a serene smile on her face, "My angels, miss. I can help them," she turned away again and continued towards the arch, stepping under it a moment before Rose rushed forward, coming to a stop directly in front of her.

"You don't have to do this," Rose urged.

Gwyneth smiled serenely at her, "My angels," she murmured and reached up touching her hands to Rose's cheeks and the blond staggered back.

Poppy frowned, concerned, hands reaching out to steady her twin, "You alright?" she asked, eyeing her twin.

"Yeah," Rose muttered, touching her hands to her cheeks, that had been a little weird, "Just some kind… electric shock type… thing… static," she muttered, struggling to find a proper word to describe just what had happened.

"Establish the bridge," the Gelth cried.

"Will it hurt her?" Poppy questioned only for the Gelth to speak over her.

"Reach out of the void let us through!" they demanded with urgency.

"Yes. I can see you! I can see you! Come!" Gwyneth called, beckoning them.

"Bridgehead establishing," the Gelth cried.

"Come! Come to me! Come to this world, poor lost souls!" Gwyneth called.

"It is begun! The bridge is made!" the Gelth declared and Gwyneth's mouth dropped open and the Gelth poured out of it in a seemingly never-ending stream, "She has given herself to the Gelth!" they cried.

Dickens swallowed thickly and forced himself to remain steady, even as he stared with wide fearful eyes, "There's rather a lot of them, eh?" he commented, trying to sound unaffected and failing in the attempt.

"The bridge is open. We descend!" the Gelth swore, the gaseous being in the archway turned demonic and the blueish glow gaseous beings had worn turned red, "The Gelth will come through in force," they declared.

"You said that you were few in number!" Dickens protested quickly.

"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses," the Gelth replied and the bodies that had been left in the morgue rose as the gaseous beings possessed them.

"Gwyneth… stop this!" Sneed called, "Listen to your master!" he demanded, "This has gone far enough," Mr. Sneed continued with desperation, "Stop dabbling child, leave these things alone. I beg of you…"

Poppy catching movement out of the corner of her eye turned, before immediately ducking under the reaching arms of a Gelth possessed dead man, before shoving him back with a quick movement of her arm, making him trip, "Oh, not good!" she muttered as she backed up a bit.

"Mr. Sneed! Look out!" Rose cried with alarm making Poppy turn to look in Sneed's direction just in time to see him grabbed by another of the risen dead, neck snapping, before one of the gaseous forms of the Gelth zooming about the room abruptly shifted course, shooting for the newly made corpse.

"Oh, really not good!" Poppy muttered as she, the Doctor and Rose leapt backwards putting more space between them and the possessed dead, the Time Lord urging his companions behind him, arms thrown out across them protectively.

"I think it's gone a little bit wrong," he admitted, unnecessarily as they slowly continued to back away from the advancing dead.

"You could say that, yeah," Poppy muttered, swallowing heavily, heart pounding against her ribcage as fear swelled.

"I have joined the legions of the Gelth," the possessed Mr. Sneed said in a monotone, "Come. March with us,"

"No!" Dickens denied as the living dead advanced on the Doctor, Poppy and Rose, the three continuing to back away.

"We need bodies. All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead," the Gelth declared as one as the three were backed up against the dungeon like morgue's door.

"Gwyneth!" the Doctor shouted, glancing past the dead briefly to the young maid in question as she continued to stand under the arch, "Stop them!" he called, "Send them back! Now!" he urged his eyes returning to the living dead.

"Four more bodies. Make them vessels for the Gelth."

Dickens shook his head in mounting horror at the situation that he'd found himself in, "I… I can't! I'm sorry!"

The Doctor chanced a quick look behind them, spotting where they were, he grabbed Poppy and Rose and pushed them in there with him, before slamming the door shut… creating a barrier between them and the advancing dead.

"It's too much for me! I'm so…" Dickens trailed off as he jumped with terror and ran from the morgue as one of the air born Gelth swooped and dived at him.

"Give yourself to glory!" the Gelth demanded as they rattled against the gate, clamouring to get to the three behind it, "Sacrifice you lives for the Gelth!"

"Uh, yeah… no," Poppy shook her head, eyes narrowing on the dead as her jaw clenched, "Not happening."

"I trusted you!" the Doctor shouted, the betrayal really starting to sink in and the consequences that they now faced, "I pitied you!"

"We don't want your pity! We want this world and all its flesh!" the corpses rattled at the door again.

The Doctor shook his head, steely determination sinking in, "Not while I'm alive," he declared.

"Then live no more."

"But," Rose swallowed as the three of them flattened themselves against the wall away from the reaching hands of the Gelth possessed dead, "We can't die!" she shook her head, "We can't die!" she looked at the Doctor hoping for reassurance, "Tell me we can't die!" she exclaimed her eyes wide with fear, "Neither of us have been born yet," Poppy tore her eyes from the dead and their reaching hands to look at him too, "It's impossible, right?"

The Doctor swallowed as he stared at his two companions, looking from one to the other as they stared back at him. All so aware that this was his doing… he'd been so determined. Had wanted to save what he could of at least one race so effected by the Time War… a war that had taken all so much from him, "I'm sorry."

"But it's 1869!" Rose exclaimed in incredulous denial, whilst Poppy let out a shaky breath, "How can we die now?"

Poppy swallowed, "Flux? Right?" she almost croaked out her throat felt that tight with her fear in that moment, "Time changing every second."

The Doctor nodded regretfully as he continued to eye his companions with old eyes, "Time isn't a straight line. It can twist into any shape. You can be born in the 20th century and die in the 19th and it's all my fault. I brought you both here," he said sorrowfully. Wishing he had the words to truly express how truly sorry he really was. He hadn't meant for this. He'd just wanted to help… to save them.

Poppy let out a low sound that was attempting to be scoffing but fell short, "I don't recall you forcing me into that incredible fantastic blue box of yours," she stated and offered him a slightly trembling smile, "So, it's not your fault. I wanted to come."

"Me too," Rose murmured swallowing heavily, "I wanted to come too."

The Doctor stared at them, almost not daring to believe them, before he blinked as another rather horrifying idea hit him, "What about me? I saw the fall of Troy! World War 5! I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party, now I'm going to die in a dungeon!" his expression twisted in growing horror, "In Cardiff!"

"It's not just dying," Rose reminded returning her uneasy gaze to the Gelth possessed bodies that were still trying to get past the gate to get to them, "We'll become one of them."

"Well, we're not dead yet," Poppy murmured, her eyes narrowing on the Gelth possessed dead again, this time with determination.

Rose nodded with determination and she glanced at the Doctor and her sister, "We'll go down fighting, yeah?"

"Yeah," Poppy agreed, smiling as she looked at the Doctor and Rose.

"Yeah!" the Doctor agreed, silently marvelling at the pair of them in that moment as he took their hands in his, intertwining their fingers, "Poppy, Rose," he murmured with sincerity as he looked from one to the other again, "I'm so glad that I met the both of you."

Poppy smiled, eyes meeting his as he looked at her again as she squeezed his hand, "I'm so glad that I met you too."

The Doctor squeezed her hand back as Rose nodded, smiling at him too, "Me too," she murmured and got a smile from the Time Lord.

Poppy looked past the Doctor at her twin, "Hey Ro-Ro?"

Rose focused on her, "Yeah, Pop?"

Poppy smiled, "I love ya."

Rose smiled back, lips trembling slightly, "Right back at ya," she replied a second before Dickens ran back into the morgue, a handkerchief pressed to his mouth and nose.

"Doctor!" he shouted, "Turn off the flame, turn up the gas! Now fill the room, all of it, now!" he ordered as he raced to the wall.

The Doctor stared at him confused, "What are you doing?"

"Turn it all on!" he declared as he turned off the flames and allowed gas to begin filling the chamber, "Flood the place!"

The Doctor stared for a second longer before he began to smile as hope filled him as realization took hold, "Brilliant. Gas!"

"What, so we choke to death instead?" Rose asked as she and Poppy stared at the two of them with confusion.

"Kinda hoping there's more to it than that," Poppy muttered.

"Am I correct, Doctor? These creatures are gaseous!" Dickens asked.

The Doctor nodded, "Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound!" he explained.

The possessed dead turned on Dickens, forgetting their desire for more bodies in their more pressing need to keep from being expelled into the air.

Dickens sweated and backed away slowly with alarm, "I hope… oh, Lord. I hope that this theory will be validated soon, "If not immediately!"

Poppy glanced around the alcove they were in, the morgue filling up with gas to slowly as the possessed bodies of the dead advanced menacingly on Dickens. Her eyes landed on a pipe and she moved towards it, reaching up and wrapping her hands around it as best she could and yanked, before putting a foot up against the wall at feeling the amount of resistance and trying again before a second pair of hands joined hers. She glanced at the Doctor to see him grinning at her rather widely in amusement.

"Need a hand there muscles?" he quipped.

"Ah, shut up and pull!" she huffed at him, looking away from him again her cheeks flushing slightly as she tugged at the pipe again.

"Right," he agreed, pulling with her, "Plenty more in here!" he called and the two of them ripped the pipe free of the wall, spilling a sudden influx of gas into the room that had the Gelth expelled from the bodies they'd been habituating with a piercing wail of a scream, the bodies slumping to the floor, lifeless once more.

"It's working," Dickens breathed in relief, before clamping the handkerchief quickly back over his mouth and nose.

The Doctor, Poppy and Rose moved quickly out from behind the gate, "Gwyneth! Send them back!" the Doctor ordered, "They lied, they're not angels."

Gwyneth slowly met his gaze, her expression confused, "Liars," she parroted.

"Look at me!" the Doctor urged as she went to look away again, "If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!"

Rose coughed, "Can't breathe," she gasped as Poppy coughed herself, the two of them struggling to breath with all the gas filling the air.

The Doctor glanced at them with concern before he turned to Dickens, "Charles, get them out of here."

Dickens took their arms to lead them out to safety but Rose shook off his hand, "We're not leaving her!"

Poppy pulled her arm free of Dickens too, "Yeah" she agreed, "And I'm not leaving her," she nodded at Rose as she gave another cough, "Mum would kill me," she added and Rose rolled her eyes as she coughed again, whilst the Doctor briefly closed his eyes at the wilful stubbornness of humans as the two coughed again.

"They're too strong," Gwyneth stated.

The Doctor quickly turned to her focusing on her again, "Remember that world you saw?" he spoke urgently, "Poppy and Rose's world? All those people, none of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift."

Gwyneth stared at him, "I can't send them back," she stated firmly as her face set in a determined line, "But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here. Get out," she ordered as she slowly forced her arm into her apron pocket and pulled out a box of matches.

Poppy shook her head with alarm at the sight of the little box Gwyneth was clutching, "This place is full of gas!"

"I know, miss," Gwyneth murmured and Poppy gaped horrified.

"You can't!" Rose exclaimed.

"Leave this place!" Gwyneth shouted.

The Doctor whirled around, grasping the pair by the shoulders preventing them from moving past him, "Poppy, Rose, get out now, I swear I won't leave her while she's still in danger, now go!" he demanded.

Poppy swallowed, eyes meeting his for a moment, before she nodded and grasped her twins hand, the blond gripping her hand tightly in response before they turned and joined Dickens by the door of the morgue the three running out the door and into the corridor making their way through the house.

The Doctor stared after them until they'd disappeared from sight before he turned back to Gwyneth, "Come on," he urged and held out a hand for the little box of matches, "Give that to me," Gwyneth stared at him blankly, unmoving.

 ***O*O*O***

"This way!" Dickens called to Poppy and Rose as he led them back through the now dark house that was filling with more and more gas at a run.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor swallowed heavily, a horrible thought occurring to him as Gwyneth remained motionless, just staring at him. He reached up and placed his hand against her neck, feeling for a pulse and his face fell at finding none, "I'm sorry," he apologised heavily, before he pressed a grateful kiss to her forehead, "Thank you," he told her before he turned and ran for the door, whilst Gwyneth slid open the box and plucked out a single match, her eyes going up to the Gelth that were swirling angrily in the air around her, before she moved to strike the match against the side of the box, to set the tip aflame…

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy, Rose and Dickens watched from the street as the house went up in a fiery explosion, flames chasing the Doctor as he dove out the doorway just in time and Poppy felt herself relax at the sight of him even as she scanned the night… unable to help but note that he'd come out of the now burning house alone. "Oh no…" she breathed horrified as her gaze returned to him, before going back to the burning house, before squeezing tightly shut for a moment.

"She didn't make it," Rose murmured, the unwanted realisation setting in as her own gaze slid past the Doctor, resting on the burning house once more.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor apologised as he stared at them, Poppy's eyes opening to look at him, whilst Rose turned her gaze back to him, "She closed the rift."

"At such cost," Charles murmured just as sadly for the young woman who'd risked all to save them, "The poor child."

"I did try," the Doctor assured, his gaze still locked on his companions, "But Gwyneth was already dead. She had been for at least 5 minutes," he informed them as gently as he could.

Poppy frowned a bit perplexed, "5 minutes?" she parroted, "But she…" her eyes widened in horrified understanding, "Oh…" she muttered head bowing… she'd been under the breach for about 5 minutes, hadn't she? She'd sort of lost track of time for a bit there… what with the Gelth trying to kill them.

Rose glanced at her sister and then back to the Time Lord still a bit confused, "What do you mean?"

"I think she was dead from the minute she stood in that arch," the Doctor explained.

"But… she can't have, she spoke to us. She helped us – saved us," Rose protested in confusion, "How could she have done that?"

Poppy shook her head, honestly not having a clue as to the how and the why behind it… so instead she just placed a hand on his sister's shoulder and squeezed a second before the blond leaned into her and she wrapped her in a hug instead, taking as much comfort from the embrace as she was giving.

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy," Dickens quoted before glancing at the Doctor, "Even for you, Doctor."

Rose stared at the burning house sadly, her head resting against her twins, "She saved the world. A servant girl. No one will ever know."

"Well," Poppy murmured softly as she stared up at the burning house, "I don't plan to ever forget her."

"No," Rose agreed, "Me neither."

"Never forget," the Doctor agreed and the four of them stood staring at the house for a long moment, before they were forced to move away before they were discovered by the authorities that would no doubt be incoming, drawn by the blaze.

 ***O*O*O***

In the alleyway where the Tardis stood awaiting them. The Doctor, Poppy, Rose and Dickens came to a stop by the blue box.

The Doctor gave the other man a smile, "Right then, Charlie-boy, I've just got to go into my um... shed. Won't be long!" he lied through his teeth as he fitted his key into the lock.

"What're you going to do now?" Rose asked as she eyed Dickens curiously.

"I shall take the mail coach back to London. Quite literally post-haste. This is no time for me to be on my own. I shall spend Christmas with my family and make amends to them. After all I've learned tonight, there can be nothing more vital," Dickens exclaimed.

Poppy smiled at him and nodded, "No better time of year for making amends," she observed.

"You've cheered up!" the Doctor observed in turn as he eyed the man with a bit of a grin, hesitating in pushing open the now unlocked Tardis door.

"Exceedingly!" Dickens enthused, "This morning, I thought I knew everything in the world and now I know I've just started! All these huge and wonderful notions, Doctor! I'm inspired. I must write about them!"

"Do you think that's wise?" Rose asked a little concerned.

Dickens waved her off, "I shall be subtle at first. The Mystery of Edwin Drood still lacks an ending. Perhaps the killer was not the boy's uncle. Perhaps he was not of this earth. The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the Blue Elementals. I can spread the word! Tell the truth!"

"Good luck with it. Nice to meet you," the Doctor shook his hand, "Fantastic," he beamed before turning back to the Tardis door.

"Real pleasure," Poppy smiled at Dickens, stepping towards him and pressing a quick friendly parting kiss to his cheek, "Bye," she said as she pulled back, her smile turning amused as Dickens gaped, whits a bit scattered in his shock.

"Bye, then," Rose grinned stepped forward herself and pressing a friendly parting kiss to his other cheek, "And thanks."

"Oh, my dears, how modern," Dickens murmured, eyeing them as he gathered himself, "Thank you, but, I don't understand, in what way is this goodbye?" he asked as his gaze flicked back to the Doctor who was grinning a bit amused himself, "Where are you going?"

The Doctor grinned, "You'll see. In the shed," he pushed open the door slightly.

Dickens huffed good naturedly, "Oh, my soul. Doctor, it's one riddle after another with you. But after all these revelations, there's one mystery you still haven't explained. Answer me this: who are you?"

The Doctor hesitated a moment, eyeing him as he pondered what to say, "Just a friend. Passing through," he settled on.

"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose on you, but I must ask you. My books. Doctor, do they last?"

The Doctor grinned "Oh, yes!"

"For how long?" he asked.

"Forever!" the Doctor exclaimed and Dickens attempted to look modest even as he felt rather pleased at the knowledge, "Right. Shed," he turned to Poppy and Rose, "Come on, you two."

"In, in the box?" Dickens questioned, spluttering just slightly as he swept his gaze over them, "The three of you?"

"Down boy," the Doctor grinned as he started to step into the Tardis, "See ya!" he called before disappearing inside. Poppy and Rose giving Dickens a last smile before following the Doctor inside, shutting the door behind them.

"Doesn't that change history if he writes about blue ghosts?" Rose mused as she and Poppy joined the Doctor around the console.

"Flux," Poppy reminded her twin, nudging her a little and got an equally playful nudge back from the blond.

"In a week's time it's 1870," the Doctor told them, "And that's the year he dies. Sorry. He'll never get to tell his story."

"That's a shame," Poppy murmured, her eyes going to the monitor the three of them where standing in front of, where they could see Dickens still standing, staring at the Tardis waiting to see what the Doctor had meant.

"He was so nice," Rose murmured.

"But in your time, he was already dead," the Doctor reminded them, "We've brought him back to life! He's more alive now than he's ever been, old Charlie-boy. Let's give him one last surprise," he hit a button that had the engines coming to life, rota rising and falling rapidly. The three smiled as they watched the astonishment on Dickens face as the Tardis wheezed as she began to dematerialise from the street, disappearing before the writers eyes, leaving no trace that she'd ever been there at all.


	4. Chapter 4 Aliens of London

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just Poppy my o/c.

 **A/N:** A big thank you's to everyone who followed/favourited and reviewed the previous chapter. And another big thank you goes to **Maethoriel Artemis** and **Saberbladeprime** for reading over this chapter for me and giving me feedback on it.

 **CHAPTER 4**

 **Aliens of London**

"Aren't you gonna go get changed?" the Doctor asked Poppy, eyeing her as she leaned her hands against the Tardis console, staring at it intently. The sound of Rose's heeled footsteps fading down the corridor as the blond went to do exactly that, "Unless, you want to visit home looking like you've stepped out of the 18th century…"

"I am. I mean I will," Poppy murmured, the pale skirts of her dress whispering over the floor as she shifted about the console slightly, turning, leaning her back against it as she cast her eyes about the large console room, "I just can't figure it out."

The Doctor arched a brow, arms crossing as he leaned against the console beside her as he continued to eye her, "Figure what out?"

"How she works," Poppy replied glancing back at the console again, patting her hand over the rim, as she eyed off the buttons, knobs, switches and levers, her brow slightly furrowed, "How it's possible that the inside is bigger than the outside, not to mention," she turned to face the console again, resting her hands on the rim again as she leaned over it as she eyed the console intently again, "How she actually travels through time."

The Doctor shrugged slightly, the corners of his lips quirking as he continued to eye her, "She just does."

"Yeah, but…" Poppy turned her head to look at him, eyes alight with curiosity, her fingers twitching about the rounded rim of the console with the urge to understand, "How?"

"Just be glad that it does," the Doctor told her as he straightened up and started around the console twisting a knob as he passed it.

"I am," Poppy nodded with a bright tongue in teeth smile, "I'm exceedingly glad that it does," she followed his slow progress about the console, "That doesn't mean that I don't wanna understand how she does what she does."

The Doctor shook his head as he flicked a switch on the console and looked up at her again, "Poppy, you don't need to know."

Poppy paused, "Right…" she murmured with a slight nod, "Course I don't," she agreed, eyeing him as she bit her lower lip gently, "I just, I can get a bit carried away when it comes to this kind of stuff. Understanding how things fit together and work…"

The Doctor nodded, the subtly tense line of his shoulders relaxing slightly as he quirked his lips up at her in a slight smile, "Spoken like someone who likes to tinker with things."

"Tinker, fix, build," Poppy nodded, "I'm usually fairly good at just looking and getting it. Getting how it all works," she glanced about the console room, the Doctor watching her openly fascinated expression, "This place though. It's completely fascinating and all kinds of amazing and…" she looked back at the Doctor the slightest pout jutting out her lower lip, "I don't get it," she murmured and she wanted to. She wanted to understand, to be able to look and at the very least get the gist of how all the 'bells and whistles' worked to make the sentient ship capable of doing what she did.

"She is at that," the Doctor nodded, patting the console fondly, before he paused and pinned Poppy with a rather stern look, "So, just keep whatever urges you get to tinker with her to yourself," he told her firmly, "I don't want you breaking anything out of curiosity."

"I wasn't planning to tinker about with her," Poppy protested giving him a look as her hands came up in a surrender-like gesture, "I wouldn't want to break her either."

The Doctor nodded, "Good," he murmured his expression lightening, even as he shifted a touch sheepishly realising he'd probably sounded unintentionally harsh in his warning. He just knew how easy it was to give into the urge to fiddle when one was curious about something, "Only I do repairs on the ship," he half mumbled.

Poppy nodded, catching the words, "I get it," she sighed, eyeing him, "Twitching tinkerer fingers to myself," she murmured, before she sighed out a low quiet breath unable to help but feel disappointed as she truly did wish to try and understand the amazing ship she was aboard, but if it was her ship. She was almost one hundred percent certain that she wouldn't want someone she just met messing about with her either and if this ship was all he had left of his home and his people, it was no wonder he was protective really, but still… "But um…" she hedged slightly not wanting to push it, but not able to stop herself either as she really, dearly would like the chance to hopefully understand her one day, "If you ever do feel like _talking_ about how the Tardis does what she does," the Doctor glanced over at her again, "Well, I'd always love to hear," she concluded with a bright tongue in teeth grin that was all hopeful charm.

The Doctor stared at her, taking in her bright smile, his hearts involuntarily picking up a little speed in his chest at how it lit up her face, "Nice try," he quirked his lips up into a smug smirk, "But your charm smiles won't work on me."

"They won't?" Poppy questioned with mock innocence.

"Nope," the Doctor stated lightly still smirking as he eyed her.

"Well, shucks," Poppy mock pouted, eyeing him.

The Doctor's smirk widened into a smile and he looked away, "But, I suppose," he murmured softly, musingly, as he turned away, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Ok!" Poppy agreed brightly, grinning, glad that that bit of awkward strained tension between them seemed to have faded as quickly as it had come even if she couldn't help being a little disappointed still at the fact that there was no guarantee that he'd ever feel like talking about the inner workings of his Tardis with her. Still, she'd choose to remain hopeful that one day he wouldn't mind the idea of sharing a bit about the wondrous ship with her, "Well, until that no doubt enlightening conversation," she murmured lightly, "I'll just have to keep hypothesising that she runs off of magic," and the ginger with a streak of white at the front grinned, tongue poking out from between her teeth again as the Doctor whirled around an almost indignant expression on his face as he stared at her.

"She doesn't run off of magic," the Time Lord huffed.

"Doesn't she?" Poppy asked all innocence once more, mirth shining in her eyes as she jutted her lower lip out at him in a slight mock pout.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, indignant expression shifting into amusement as he took in her expression, "There's no such thing," he told her definitively.

Poppy mock gasped and pointed a finger at him, "Bite your tongue," she exclaimed, her lips twitching upwards with the powerful urge to grin at him again.

The Time Lord shook his head as he huffed out a low laugh and stepped over to her, returning her grin as she gave into the urge to grin at him. He placed his hands on her slender shoulders and gave her a gentle nudge towards the stairs, "Go get changed, Poppy."

"Right," the ginger nodded cheerfully, glancing back at him as she walked towards the stairs, heels clacking against the grated panelling, "Yep," she turned away again as she reached the base of the stairs and started up the steps, hands going to her skirts, "Going."

The Doctor watched her walk up the stairs and out of sight before he sighed out a soft breath and turned back to the console. His fingers tugged at his ear as he stared down at the controls before him, flicking a switch and twisting a dial. His brow furrowed a bit thoughtfully and blue eyes a bit conflicted as he shifted around the central console fiddling with the controls as he went, his mind still on his conversation with Poppy…

 ***O*O*O***

The Tardis wheezed as she materialised outside of the Powell Estate, the door opened and Poppy stepped out, swiftly followed by Rose, the twins smiling at the sight of their home as the Doctor stepped out after them. The Time Lord leaning against the doorframe of his ship, watching the twins as they took in 21st century London.

"Ah home," Poppy murmured appreciatively as she stared at the Powell Estate, "It feels like it's been ages and yet like no time has passed at all," she mused.

Rose turned to look at the Doctor, "How long have we been gone?" she asked and Poppy turned to look at him too.

"About 12 hours," the Doctor replied.

Poppy blinked, "Really?" she murmured glancing around the space outside the Powell Estate the Tardis had landed in, "All that…" she turned back to the Doctor, "The year 5 billion and Cardiff 1869 all in 12 hours."

"Yep," the Doctor nodded, smiling rather pleased with himself, "12."

Poppy grinned, a light laugh escaping her, her voice mingling with Rose's as her blond twin let out a laugh of her own at the absurdity, "Mental," the ginger hummed with a shake of her head still grinning rather delighted.

"Right," Rose nodded in agreement, it was barmy. Barmy and brilliant, she grinned, "We won't be long," she assured the Doctor, "We just wanna see our mum, right?" she glanced at Poppy.

The ginger nodded, "Yep, check in on mum, pop in on Mickey… oh, hold on," she glanced around them, "Eh, what is it? Midmorning or something…" she mused with mild disappointment as she turned back to them, "He's probably at work," she sighed, "So, just mum then," she nodded decisively.

The Doctor cocked his head at the twins, eyeing the both of them curiously, "What're you going to tell her?"

"I don't know!" Rose exclaimed, "We've been to the year 5 billion and only been gone, what, 12 hours?" the Doctor snorted out an amused laugh, "No," Rose shook her head at the thought of trying to tell her mother that.

"Definitely not," Poppy agreed and glanced at Rose, "The usual?" she asked and the Doctor quirked a brow at them.

"Yep," Rose nodded, "Definitely the usual," she glanced at Poppy, "Which one did we use as an excuse last time we were out all night," she wondered trying to think back to the last time they'd needed an excuse, "Lucy or Shareen?"

"Um… Lucy…" Poppy muttered frowning in thought herself, whilst the Doctor shook his head slightly in amused bemusement. Poppy blinked and then nodded more confidently, "Yeah, we definitely used Lucy last time."

Rose nodded, "We'll tell her we spent the night at Shareen's then," the twins turned their attention back to the Doctor, "See you later!" the blond called, speaking almost in tandem with her twin as Poppy called.

"See you in a bit!"

And they turned starting off towards the Estate, only taking a step or two when Rose paused again and turned back around and pointed a finger at the Time Lord that was still leaning against the doorframe of the Tardis, "Oh," she called and Poppy paused herself glancing at her twin with a quirked quizzical brow, "Don't you disappear!" she exclaimed to the Time Lord and Poppy shook her head, even as she turned her eyes to the Doctor, to see him giving them both a look that clearly said 'As if I'd do that'.

Poppy grinned at him, "See you soon then!" she gave him a bit of a wave and the Doctor waggled his fingers back at her in return earning a light laugh as the twins turned and started away again, their steps quickening as they got closer to the Powell Estate.

"Yeah," the Doctor murmured, eyes locked on their backs as they got the gate open and stepped inside the building, "See you soon," he sighed out a breath and settled himself more comfortably against the doorframe of the Tardis and started glancing about the area the Tardis had materialised in as he waited.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy and Rose ran up the stairs to the Tyler flat as fast as they were capable, the pair of them grinning as they rapidly approached the door of their home.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor wandered away from the Tardis, his arms folded across his chest. He unfolded them in the next moment as his eyes landed on an empty bottle and he kicked it across the yard. Boredom already starting to scratch at him persistently. He sighed and glanced about again, his eyes catching on a couple of old posters that were taped to a concrete pillar side by side. He wandered over to them for a better look. His eyes landing on the pictures of Poppy and Rose printed on them, right under the words 'Can You Help?' and above that 'Police Appeal for Assistance'. His eyes widened with growing alarm, his mouth dropping open as he started to read over the information printed alongside the pictures of the two young women.

 ***O*O*O***

"We're back!" Poppy called as she opened the door to the Tyler flat and she stepped inside, her eyes roving over the familiar entryway.

"We were with Shareen," Rose called as she swiftly followed Poppy inside, closing the door behind them as her own eyes took in the entryway, following her twin as she moved further into the flat, "She was all upset again."

"Completely distraught," Poppy agreed, exchanging a quick look with Rose, the two smiling at each other.

"Are you in?" Rose called a moment before Jackie walked out of the kitchen in her pink dressing gown and a mug of tea in her hand. The oldest Tyler woman paused at the sight of her twins, her eyes widening as she stared in shock and almost disbelief as they smiled at her, "So, what's been going on? How've you been?" Rose frowned quizzically as Jackie continued to gape at the sight of them, "What? What's that face for?" she asked with concern, "It's not the first time we've stayed out all night."

"We even phoned," Poppy nodded, "Said we'd probably be home late, remember… mum…!" the ginger exclaimed with shock as Jackie Tyler still gaping at her children dropped her tea mug as the handle slipped from her loosening grip and it smashed over the floor…

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor finished his quick read of the mostly identical posters and he spun on his heel and dashed for the Powell Estate fumbling with the gate a moment before he managed to yank it open and he dashed up the stairs, racing in the direction of the Tyler flat…

 ***O*O*O***

"It's you… the both of you…" Jackie breathed as she stared, her eyes still wide with her disbelief and shock at seeing her babies home.

The twins exchanged a confused and concerned look, "Of course it's us," Rose nodded as they stared at their mum quizzically.

"Mum, are you alright?" Poppy asked with growing concern as Jackie gaped at them a moment longer.

"Oh my God," Jackie breathed her voice wavering, shaking and tearful as she drank in the sight of them, the both of them alive, "It is… you're both here. Oh my God," she stepped forward unmindful of the broken mug and the tea on the floor as she threw her arms around her children, clutching them to her as she broke into sobs.

"Mum… what…?" Poppy began with alarm, before her gaze fell on all the missing person posters piled up on the table. Missing person posters of her and Rose. The twins exchanged an alarmed look as they hugged their mum back.

Behind them the door to the flat burst open as the Doctor ran in, the door practically slamming against the wall in his hurry, "It's not 12 hours," he shouted frantically, "It's er…" he trailed as he took in the sight of the tearful Jackie Tyler hugging her children too her and he tugged at his ear, "12 months. You've been gone a whole year," he let out an apologetic, awkward laugh as the three stunned women stared at him with shock. He looked from Poppy to Rose to Jackie and back again with growing sheepishness that expressed itself in an apologetic grin, "Sorry."

Poppy closed her eyes and let out a low breath before she opened them again as she felt one of her mum's hands on her hair, stroking over it, and her eyes returned to her mum to see her staring at her and Rose. Jackie eyes a bit red from her tears that where still welling and she bit her lower lip harshly as she felt the backs of her own eyes prick hotly, "Sorry, mum," she breathed, she hadn't meant to be gone so long… it was supposed to have been just 12 hours… just 12 little hours, not a whole year.

"Really sorry," Rose murmured as she too stared at her mum with eyes that were pricking with tears at what their mum had to have gone through.

 ***O*O*O***

Outside the Powell Estate a young boy on a bicycle came to a stop by the blue box and pulled out a can of white spray paint. He gave it a vigorous shake as he let his bike and backpack fall to the ground as he approached the side of the blue wooden box. He aimed it at the side he was stood in front of and depressed the top, moving his arm in exaggerated movements to paint large letters onto it. He grinned as he finished off the last letter of the words 'Bad Wolf' before he quickly turned and ran back over to his fallen bike and tucked the spray paint can back into his backpack and slung it on before he picked up his bike and hastily pedalled away.

 ***O*O*O***

"The hours I've sat here," Jackie shouted furiously as she glowered at her children as they sat side by side on the settee, "Days and week and months, all on my own. I thought you two were dead," Poppy flinched at that, and the Doctor shifted uncomfortably where he was standing with his arms crossed as Jackie tore into Poppy and Rose, guilt clawing at his insides, "And where were you both? Travelling! What the hell does that mean, travelling? That's no sort of answer," Jackie turned to the policeman that was sitting in one of the armchairs, "You ask them," she pointed angrily at her children, "They won't tell me! That's all they say. Travelling."

"That's what we were doing," Rose tried.

"When your passports are still in the drawer?" Jackie shook her head as she gestured furiously towards the drawer that their passports where kept in, "It's just one lie after another! And you," Jackie focused her angry eyes on Poppy, "You always promised to call me when you went travelling! I know every day like I would ask was a bit unlikely, but I expected to hear something from you when you did."

"I'm sorry mum," Poppy murmured, "It wasn't deliberate, I swear!"

"We meant to phone," Rose nodded, "We really did… we just…" the blond swallowed as Jackie glowered at her, "We forgot…"

"What, for a year?!" Jackie shook her head, "You both forgot for a whole year?" she questioned with disbelief, "And I'm left sitting here? I just don't believe you, either of you," she cried, "No matter how much you wanted to travel, Poppy Tyler, you wouldn't have left me without a word or without at the very least a phone call, no matter how suddenly you got the urge to just pick up and go. And you Rose, you aren't like Poppy. You weren't in any hurry to travel when you both disappeared on me!" Jackie shook her head and stared at her children pleadingly, "Why won't you tell me where you've been?"

Poppy squirmed under her mum's gaze, "Sorry…" she whispered and Jackie made a frustrated tutting sound.

"Actually," the Doctor drew attention to himself as he shifted to stand by the settee Poppy and Rose were sat on, both looking contrite, "It's my fault," he stated and the twins glanced up at him as their mum's furious eyes went to him, eyes narrowing on the man she'd met only once before again, anger simmering, "I sort of er, employed Poppy and Rose as my companions."

The policeman eyed the Doctor, a pen in hand, poised over his notepad the page almost already full of the notes he'd already taken, "When you say 'companions'," his gaze flicked to the two young women on the couch that were now also staring at him, "Is this a sexual relationship?"

"No!" the three exclaimed in unison, the twins stiffening on the couch at what the policeman was implying.

"Then, what is it?" Jackie asked as she stalked towards the Doctor, glowering at him, "Because you waltz in here, all charm and smiles, and the next thing I know, my girls vanish off the face of the Earth! How old are you then? Forty? Forty-five? What, did you find them on the internet? Did you go online and pretend to be a Doctor?"

"I _am_ a Doctor!" he insisted.

"Prove it!" Jackie glowered, "Stitch this, mate!" and Poppy felt herself grimace sympathetically as her mum's hand connected solidly with the Doctor's cheek. Whilst Rose rolled her eyes as the Doctor let out a loud groan.

 ***O*O*O***

"Did you think about me at all?" Jackie asked as she pulled back from a hug with Rose as Poppy pulled open the freezer door compartment to the fridge.

"Yeah," Rose nodded wiping at her cheeks as tears ran freely down her cheeks, "All the time," she assured.

"Did you miss me?" Jackie asked, tears making tracks down her own cheeks.

Poppy paused in the middle of pulling out an icepack from the freezer and she turned to her mum as tears started falling from her own eyes again, "More than I ever thought I would," she murmured thickly.

"Oh…" Jackie sniffed and stepped over to Poppy clutching her into another tight hug that the ginger returned.

"Sorry, mum," Poppy murmured again as she slowly pulled back from the hug. Hating that she'd caused her mum so much stress, "We're _sooo_ sorry."

"One phone call," Jackie sighed as she looked from one to the other, "Just to let me know that you were both alive!"

"We're sorry, mum," Rose murmured and Poppy nodded in agreement, "We really are."

"Do you know what terrifies me, is that you both still can't say," Jackie sighed as Poppy wiped at her eyes with a tissue, sniffling slightly, her heart heavy in her chest, before she grabbed a clean tea towel, "What happened to the both of you?" Jackie eyed her children, the both of them avoiding her gaze and she sigh out another heavy breath again, "What can be so bad that you can't tell me, sweethearts?" she reached up placing a hand on Rose's cheek whilst her other went to Poppy's hair stroking over it again and Poppy dropped the icepack she'd been wrapping onto the table and turned to her mum hugging her again whilst Rose nuzzled her cheek wet with tears into her mum's hand.

Jackie eyed the two of them as she hugged Poppy to her with one arm, "Where were the two of you?"

The twins remained silent, Poppy hugging her mum harder in another silent apology whilst Rose reached up and placed her hand over her mum's on her cheek, more tears slipping free to slid down her cheeks.

 ***O*O*O***

Up on the roof of the Estate, the Doctor turned as he heard the door open, his gaze landing on Poppy as she stepped through the doorway, an icepack wrapped in a red and white checker tea towel in her hands. Rose clicking the door shut behind her as she stepped out onto the rooftop after her twin.

"Here," Poppy murmured as she crossed over to where he was leaning against a wall, "Thought you might need this."

"She didn't hit me that hard," the Doctor muttered as Rose settled herself up onto the wall, sitting on it.

"Really?" Poppy arched a disbelieving brow at him, the icepack still held out to him as she shifted to lean against the wall beside him, "Cos you almost fell…"

"She took me off guard," the Doctor insisted, but still uncrossed his arms and took the proffered tea towel wrapped icepack from her and pressed it to his cheek. Rose rolled her eyes at that whilst Poppy just shook her head, teeth abusing her lower lip, the both of the staring out across the roof, silence falling over the three of them.

The Doctor glanced at them, taking in their rather solemn demeanours with regret, "Did I mention that I was sorry?"

Poppy nodded, "Yep," she sighed, turning her head to glance at him briefly, "You did."

"Right," the Doctor nodded, shifting a bit uncomfortably, adjusting his grip on the icepack as silence fell over the three of them again.

"It's just…" Rose broke the silence, "We can't tell her. Can't even begin…" the blond trailed sighed despondently, "She's never gonna forgive us."

"Nope," Poppy agreed despondently, glancing up at her twin.

"And we missed a year," Rose sighed, before she glanced over her twin's head to the Doctor, "Was it any good?"

"Middling," the Doctor replied as he made a vague so-so gesture with his free hand.

Poppy rolled her eyes, "Well, that's helpful," she sassed as she stared at him, " _Really_ filled in the gaps."

"You're so useless," Rose agreed.

"Well…" the Doctor eyed the both of them a bit cautiously, schooling his expression into a careful nonchalant mask as he lowered the icepack from his cheek, "If it's this much trouble are you two gonna stay here now?"

"I dunno," Rose sighed and the Doctor felt his hearts plummet as even Poppy shook her head, teeth chewing on her lower lip as she looked away from him, "We can't do that to her again, though," Rose muttered.

"She'd never recover," Poppy murmured heavily as she released her lower lip from her teeth and scratched at her forehead.

"Well, she's not coming with us!" the Doctor stated firmly grimacing a bit as he placed the icepack back against his cheek as it throbbed painfully again at the mere thought of that woman stepping foot into his Tardis.

The twins snorted out a bit of a dry laugh at the very idea of their mum even wanting to, "No chance," they responded in unison.

And the Doctor let out a bit of a relieved laugh as he eyed them, his arms crossing over his chest again as he stated, "I don't do families."

"She slapped you!" Rose chortled with amusement.

"It was a good one too!" Poppy chortled herself as she recalled the moment, the way the Doctor had stumbled and almost fell.

The Doctor eyed them unhappily, "Nine hundred years of time and space, and I've never been slapped by someone's mother," he huffed a bit petulantly.

"Your face!" Rose grinned.

"The sound of that impact!" Poppy sniggered again, grinning herself.

The Doctor frowned at the two of them, his hand coming up to press the icepack to his poor cheek again, more because he was still holding it rather than the fact that he was still in pain, "It hurt!" he grumbled.

"You're so gay!" Rose rolled her eyes and got down from her perch on the wall, wandering a few steps away.

Whilst Poppy sobered as she turned her head to look at him, "She thought we were both dead for 12 months. She meant it to hurt."

The Doctor grimaced and gave a bit of a nod.

Rose turned eyeing him, sobering herself as she fully processed what it was he'd said, "When you say nine hundred years…"

The Doctor shrugged, lowering the icepack again, "That's my age."

Poppy blinked, eyeing him up and down as Rose started back towards them, "Really?"

"Yep," he nodded.

Rose stared at him a bit incredulously, "You're nine hundred years old?!"

The Doctor arched a brow at the blond, hadn't just he confirmed that, just then, "Yeah," he stated again.

Poppy blinked again, eyeing the Time Lord a bit musingly, "That's…"

"One hell of an age gap," Rose cut in as she crossed her arms and looked from her twin to the Time Lord and back again with a slight frown.

"Well, I was gonna say that you've aged well…" Poppy murmured as she looked him over again and the Doctor grinned, rather pleased.

Rose rolled her eyes and shook her head at that, "Mum was right," she sighed drawing their attention back to her, "Every conversation with you just goes mental," she declared, "I just wish we could tell mum something," she murmured after a beat of silence, glancing back towards the door that'd eventually lead back to the Tyler flat, "We've seen all that stuff up there, the size of it, and we can't tell her a thing, not one word," she turned her head to look back at Poppy and the Doctor, "Aliens and spaceships and things, and I can't share it with anyone else but the two of you. We're the only ones that know they exist."

Right at that moment, above their heads, a spacecraft soared precariously through the air as it fell down towards the Earth, trailing black smoke in its wake. It crashed into the side of Big Ben, before it landed with a large splash into the Thames.

"Did that really just happen?" Poppy gaped at the plume of black smoke that was rising into the air from where the spacecraft had crashed into the Thames, the three that had ducked down reflexively as the crashing spacecraft passed overhead slowly straightening up.

"Yep," the Doctor nodded an excited grin lighting up his face as excitement replaced his initial shock, his eyes locked on the spot the spaceship had crashed.

"Ok…" Poppy nodded.

"Oh, that's so not fair!" Rose exclaimed as she gaped at the spot herself.

"On the bright side," Poppy murmured musingly, "You've got other people to talk to about aliens now, Ro-Ro."

"Shut up, Pop!" Rose huffed and swatted a hand at her sister's head only for the ginger to duck reflexively.

The Doctor let out a gleeful laugh, excitement and anticipation thrumming through him as he turned to his companions, "Stop wittering you two and come on!" he urged them, grasping Poppy's hand as he ran for the door, pulling her into motion and the trio hurried to make their way down the building.

 ***O*O*O***

"Oh, talk about chaos!" Poppy exclaimed as the three turned into another street at a run, the ginger taking in the traffic jam ahead of them with disappointment.

"It's blocked off," the Doctor stated with disappointment as they came to a stop, his gaze flitting about, taking in the soldiers that had closed off the road.

"We're miles from the centre," Rose murmured as she too looked around with disappointment, the streets were a chaotic mess, "The scene must be grid locked. The whole of London must be closing down."

"I know, I can't _believe_ I'm here to see this! This is fantastic!" the Doctor exclaimed giddily almost vibrating with his excitement.

"Fantastic?" Poppy queried dubiously as she turned her head to look at him, "We can't see anything from back here!"

"Well," the Doctor conceded with a nod, "A part from that," he went back to glancing around, "This is fantastic!"

Rose turned to him, "Did you know this was going to happen?"

The Doctor glanced at the twins to see the both of them staring at him expectantly. He grinned unrepentantly, "Nope!"

"What about the ship?" Poppy tried, staring at him all eager curiosity, "Did you recognise that?"

"Nope!" the Doctor replied, still grinning completely unrepentant in the face of their hopeful and expectant gazes.

"Do you know why it crashed?" Rose tried again, her brow furrowing with mild frustration as she continued to eye him.

"Nope!" the Doctor repeated a third time, still grinning at the twins, both of whom where frowning at him now.

"Do you know anything about the crash at all?" Poppy questioned, still frowning with mild frustration.

"Nope!" the Doctor repeated to neither twins surprise, "Isn't that just fantastic?!"

"Giddying," Poppy sassed dryly.

"We're _so_ glad we've got you," Rose grumbled with sarcasm, her arms crossing as she eyed him, irritated.

"I bet you both are!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, blatantly ignoring the sarcasm from both young women, "This is what I travel for!" he grinned at them and Poppy couldn't help but grin back at his blatant excitement, "To see history happening right in front of us."

"'Cept… we can't see it…" Poppy muttered, her grin falling away as disappointment hit again and she went up on her tiptoes in an attempt to see… something.

"Not from here," Rose agreed, before she grinned at them brightly, "Never mind the traffic!" she exclaimed, "We've got the Tardis!"

Poppy turned, the heels of her feet touching the ground once more as she dropped down from her tiptoes, the ginger looking at the Time Lord hopefully.

"Better not," the Doctor replied dashing their hopes with reluctance, rather put out himself at not being able to get a good look, "They've already got one spaceship in the middle of London, don't want to shove another one on top."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Poppy nodded and sighed disappointment hitting her all over again.

"Yeah," Rose nodded with a bit of a frown as she glanced at Poppy then returned her gaze to the Time Lord, "But yours looks like a big blue box. No one's going to notice," the blond wheedled just a little.

"You'll be surprised, an emergency like this, there'll be all kinds of people watching. Trust me, the Tardis stays where it is," the Doctor said firmly.

"So, history's happening and we're stuck here," Rose muttered rather disgruntled, she'd so wanted to be able to get a better look.

"Yes, we are," the Doctor agreed, not too happy with that fact himself… he was never stuck on the outside! Never!

"That settles it then," Poppy nodded as she sighed still fairly disappointed, "We'll just have to do what everybody else does."

"Yep," Rose nodded and the Doctor blinked, glancing at the twins quizzically, "We'll just have to watch it on the telly," the blond elaborated and the Doctor couldn't help but stare at the two of them with stunned disbelief… the idea of having to sit back and watch it on the telly instead of being in the thick of it completely new to him.

 ***O*O*O***

"Big Ben destroyed as a UFO crash lands in Central London," a News 24 reporter reported as the Doctor, Poppy and Rose sat in the Tyler living room, eyes locked on the telly as they listened intently to the news report, "Police reinforcements are drafted in from across the country to control widespread panic, looting and civil disturbance. A state of national emergency has been declared. Tom Hitchinson is at the scene."

"The police are urging the public not to panic," Hitchinson reported as the news broadcast cut to him, "There's a helpline number on the screen right now if you're worried about friends of family."

The Doctor jabbed a button the remote he was holding and the channel flicked to a US news channel.

"The military are on the lookout for more spaceships," the AMNN news reporter announced, "Until then, all flights in North American air space have been grounded."

The Doctor jabbed another button on the remote flicking it back to News 24 and Hitchinson's report from the scene.

"The army are sending divers into the wreck of the spaceship. No one knows what they're going to find."

The Doctor jabbed the other button again flicking it back to the AMNN, "The President will address the nation live from the White House," the female reporter was saying as Jackie stepped back out of the kitchen a couple of steaming mugs in her hand, stepping past her friend Marianna as she walked towards where her children were sitting. Rose on one of the armchairs and Poppy on the settee next to her. The two of them still staring intently at the telly as the news reporter continued, "But the Secretary General has asked that people watch the skies."

"I've got no choice!" Jackie huffed as she pressed the steaming mugs of tea that she'd carried in to the living room into her children's hands, "Either I make him welcome or I run the risk of never seeing the two of you again."

"You've broken your mother's heart," Marianna scolded the twins as Jackie shifted a cushion so that she could sit down on the settee next to Poppy.

"Oi!" the Doctor exclaimed with annoyance, tearing his eyes from the telly to look at Jackie and her friend, their voices making it difficult to hear what the reporter was saying, "I'm trying to listen!" he huffed at them and turned his full attention back to the telly ignoring the glower Jackie levelled on him in response.

"… his current whereabouts," the reporter finished his sentence and the Doctor frowned in continued annoyance what had he been saying? "News is just coming in," and the Time Lord sat forward with increasing interest, even as the doorbell rang and Jackie got up and wandered through to the entry way to answer the door as the reporter continued, "We can go to Tom at the Embankment."

"They've found a body," Tom Hitchinson reported as the broadcast cut back to him and the Doctor's eyebrows rose high up on his forehead ignoring the voices of those around him as more visitors that Jackie had invited over earlier trooped into the Tyler living room, unconcerned with all the noise they were making as they got themselves settled and comfortable, whilst Jackie disappeared back into the kitchen, "It's unconfirmed, but I'm being told a body has been found in the wreckage. A body of non-terrestrial origins. It's being brought ashore."

Jackie stepped back out of the kitchen with a bottle of wine in one hand a couple of glasses a little precariously clutched in the other as she stepped over to a couple of the new arrivals, "Oh," she exclaimed brightly as she handed it over, "Guess who asked me out," and Poppy and Rose glanced over at her, "Billy Crewe," and the twins made a bit of a face and turned their eyes back to the telly, whilst the Doctor sighed and shook his head in growing exasperation, his attention returning to the news report.

"Unconfirmed reports say that the body is of extra-terrestrial origin," Hitchinson continued and the Doctor frowned as a toddler started to totter back and forth in front of him. He snatched the small child up and set him on his lap, his attention returning to the telly, "An extraordinary event unfolding here live here in Central London. The body is being transferred to a secure unit mortuary. The whereabouts is yet unknown. The roads in Central London are being…" the channel suddenly flickered. News 24 disappearing from the screen, darting through a few channels rapidly before settling on 'Blue Peter'.

Poppy arched a confused and somewhat irritated brow at the screen, her gaze going to the Doctor who had the remote to see him trying to wrest control of the telly remote back from the toddler on his lap, the little boy having swiped it from him as something to play with whilst he sat comfortably on the distracted Time Lord's lap. Poppy's irritation faded as she smiled in amusement instead. The Doctor finally managed to pry the remote back out of the stubborn toddlers hands and hastily changed the channel back to News 24.

"… in hospital," Hitchinson was saying as Poppy's eyes returned to the telly, "We still don't know whether it's alive or dead. Whitehall is denying everything. But the body has been brought here, Albion Hospital, the roads closed off – it's the closest to the river."

The toddler rather bored with the news, hopped back down off the Doctor's lap and shifted standing in front of the telly, blocking the Doctor's view of the screen as he stared up at the Time Lord, who pointed vehemently to the side, affixing the small boy with a stern look, "Go on!" and the toddler turned and wandered away in the direction indicated.

"I'm being told that… General Asquith is now entering the hospital," Hitchinson continued, "The building's evacuated. The patients have been moved out onto the streets. The police won't confirm the presence of an alien body contained inside those walls…"

The doorbell rang again and the Doctor had to resist the urge to throw up his hands in growing exasperation as he turned his head to pin Poppy and Rose with a frustrated look as Jackie immediately left the living room to answer the door once more, "How many people has your mother invited?"

"Dunno," Poppy shrugged at him, "But mum loves a party," the Doctor rolled his eyes and turned his gaze back to the telly, leaning in close again to hear better as the people crowded into the flat nattered on to each other.

Jackie popped her head back into the living room, "Poppy," the ginger turned her head to look at her mum, "There's someone here who wants to see you."

And the Doctor found his head turning to look over once again distracted from the telly to see Jackie stepping further into the living room allowing a composed middle-aged man with black hair that was peppered with grey to step into the living room. And he frowned a bit with curiosity as Poppy all but leapt up from her seat, her eyes wide as she stared at the man. The Time Lord trying to place who they were to each other.

"Hi!" Poppy exclaimed and moved towards him, her heart weighing heavily in her chest as her visitor stared at her silently, "Sensei…" she continued awkwardly sensing the disapproval in her teacher's deep brown eyes, "You don't usually make house calls."

"My students usually don't disappear for a year without a word to those they've left behind either," came the calm and quietly scolding response, and Poppy shuffled her feet contritely at the heavy disapproval behind the words.

He gestured towards the kitchen and Poppy nodded and stepped ahead of him leading the way into the kitchen as Rose and the Doctor stared after her for a moment, before their eyes returned to the telly. The Doctor flicking the channel back to the AMNN as Hitchinson waited to be told of any further developments.

A few moments later Poppy stepped back out of the kitchen, heading towards the front door of the flat as she escorted her sensei back out of the flat. The two murmuring their fair wells, before Poppy wandered back into the living room, drawing Rose's attention again as she stepped past her to reclaim her seat.

"He didn't stay long…" Rose observed and the Doctor's eyes tore themselves from the telly again to glance over at them curiously.

"Sensei's a busy man," Poppy replied and blew out a mildly troubled breath.

"So, what did he want?" Rose pressed.

"Oh," Poppy began airily, "Just to tell me that I'll be a walking bruise tomorrow afternoon," she finished with a groan. She glanced from Rose to the Doctor both staring at her, "He wants to see how _well_ or _if_ I've kept up with my training over the past year… _for himself_."

"Well," Rose murmured lowly to her twin as she leaned in to whisper to her, "At least it hasn't really been a year for you…"

"Yeah," Poppy nodded, her skills wouldn't really but rusty at all, "But he's _sensei_ ," the ginger stressed that fact, "And I'm but a mere pupil…" she flopped dramatically back against the back of the settee, "I'm gonna get my butt handed to me tomorrow morning," she groaned and the Doctor shook his head as Rose sniggered at her twin. Poppy sighed, she didn't mind getting her butt handed to her by her sensei. He was a great teacher… she'd never want another… it was the very real disappointment in his eyes as he stared at her… and honestly, a part of her was rather surprised that he was willing to still teach her after the unintentional disappearing act she'd pulled on him, on everyone… especially when she hadn't been able to do more than apologise as he calmly questioned her as to where she'd been and just what she'd been thinking whilst they'd stood together in the kitchen.

She shifted on the settee, getting herself comfortable as her eyes returned to the telly as she focused her attention back on the news as the Doctor flicked it back over to News 24 to see if Hitchinson knew anymore yet. Whilst all around them Jackie and her guests continued to natter on to each other.

 ***O*O*O***

General Asquith marched down a corridor of the Albion Hospital and into the mortuary, flanked by an armed escorted of soldiers. He approached a table, the attending physician stood beside it, a white cloth covering the alien laid out atop it.

"Let's have a look then," he nodded to the young female physician who immediately moved to pull back the sheet, allowing the General to look at what lay beneath, "Good God," he exclaimed as he eyed it, before he looked back up at the medical doctor, "And that's real? It's not a hoax or a dummy, or a…"

"I've x-rayed the skull," Doctor Sato murmured as the General trailed as she shook her head, "It's wired up inside like nothing I've ever seen before. No one could make this up."

"We've got experts being flown in. Until they arrive…" the General glanced back down at the creature on the table, "Get that out of sight."

Sato nodded and lowered the sheet back over the alien again, hiding it from view, ordering the body to be placed into one of the mortuary's 'Cold Chambers', before she turned and hurried after General Asquith as he made to leave with his escort. Running out of the mortuary and into the corridor after him, "Excuse me, sir?!" she called after him, making him pause and turn back to look at her, "I know it's a state of emergency and there's a lot of rumours flying around," she continued hurriedly as the man stared at her disquietingly, "But is it true," she pressed a bit anxiously, "What they're saying about the Prime Minister?"

The General merely stared at her another moment, before he turned without another word and continued on down the corridor, flanked by his escort of soldiers. Doctor Sato stared after him with eyes wide with concern and no little alarm at the none answer for a moment before she turned and hurried back in the other direction.

 ***O*O*O***

"Mystery still surrounds the whereabouts of the Prime Minister," another reporter announced from outside of 10 Downing Street and Poppy shifted on the settee frowning at the telly as she tried to listen over the other noise in the flat, "He's not been seen since the emergency began. The opposition are criticising his lack of leadership," the Doctor shifted with frustration on the armchair he was sitting on, "Hold on…" the reporter trailed as a car pulled up outside Downing Street and a heavyset man got out, "Oh, that's Joseph Green, MP for Hartley Dale," the reporter stated with a bit of confusion as Joseph made his way into the building, "He's Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on the monitoring of sugar standards in exported confectionary. With respect, hardly the most important person right now."

 ***O*O*O***

"Indra Ganesh, sir," a young man introduced himself to Joseph Green as he entered into the entrance hall of 10 Downing Street, shaking the man's hand as he continued, "Junior secretary with MOD. I'll be your liaison."

"Where the hell is he?" Joseph barked.

"If we could talk in private, sir," Indra urged, "Follow me, upstairs," he turned to lead the way when a woman approached from behind.

"Excuse me!" she called bringing the two up short and they turned to look at her, "Harriet Jones," she held up her ID card, "MP for Flydale North."

"I'm sorry," Indra said with some impatience as he eyed Harriet as she tucked her ID card away again, "Can it wait?"

"But I did have an appointment at 3:15," Harriet reminded him as the two men stared at her now with a bit of incredulousness.

"Yes," Indra nodded, "And a spaceship crashed in the middle of London. I think the schedule might have changed," the two men turned away from her and started up the stairs, leaving Harriet to stare after them.

"You've heard about the alien body, sir?" Indra half-asked half-stated with far more politeness than he'd addressed Harriet.

"Never mind that," Joseph retorted, "Where is he?" he questioned the younger man again, eyeing him sharply, "Where's the Prime Minister?"

"No one knows, sir," Indra admitted, "He's disappeared. I have to inform you that with the city grid locked and the Cabinet stranded outside London, that makes you acting Prime Minister with immediate effect."

"Oh, lord," Joseph exclaimed, "Oh, hold on…" he paused as he farted loudly, "Pardon me… nervous stomach," he excused and the two continued on up the staircase, "Anyway…" and the two moved hastily up the stairs, meeting a heavyset man and woman in the corridor just outside the Cabinet room.

"Margaret Blaine," Indra indicated the blond woman who smiled at them in greeting as Indra continued, "She's with MI5."

"There's no more information, sir," Margaret informed Joseph, "I personally escorted the Prime Minister from the Cabinet room to his car. This," she gestured to the man standing beside her, "Is Oliver Charles, transport liaison."

"The car's disappeared. There's no record of it, sir," Charles reported, "It literally vanished."

"Right," Joseph nodded, "Inside," he ushered them towards the waiting Cabinet room, "Tell me everything."

"Er, sir?" Indra called awkwardly and Joseph turned back around to look at him to see Indra holding out a Ministerial Red Box, "The emergency protocols," he explained, "Detailing the actions to be taken by the government of Great Britain in the event of an alien incursion."

"Right! Good!" Joseph farted loudly again, "Blimey!" he exclaimed and Indra stared at him with a slightly worried expression, "Pardon me," he excused himself again and took the case from Indra's hands, "Let's get to work, eh?"

Joseph turned and followed Margaret and Charles into the Cabinet Room, closing the door behind him firmly, before he followed them over to the table and set the box down on top of it. He looked across the table at the other two in the room with him and started laughing, Margaret and Charles joining him a second later and low chuckles soon turned into boisterous giddy guffaws.

 ***O*O*O***

Night had fallen when the Doctor quietly slipped out of the Tyler flat, carefully closing the door with a quiet snick behind him, before he turned and started away only for the door to open up behind him.

Poppy pulled the door shut behind her as she eyed the Time Lord's retreating back, "Are you leaving?"

The Doctor paused and turned back around, "No," he denied and Poppy cocked her head at him, her brow raised slightly, "It's just a bit human in there for me," he nodded at the flat he'd just left, "History just happened and they're talking about where you can buy dodgy top-up cards for half price."

Poppy grimaced at that, "I know," she groaned with dismay as she rubbed at her forehead as she frowned glancing back at the flat herself.

The Doctor smiled a little at that and for a brief moment he considered inviting her along, but then his cheek throbbed slightly where Jackie had hit him and he dismissed the idea, "I'm off on a wander, that's all."

"Mm-hmm," Poppy nodded eyeing him with clear disbelief, "A spaceship crashed landed in the Thames and you're just off to wander about the block," she shook her head, "No chance," she laughed.

"It's got nothing to do with me," the Doctor protested, doing his best 'innocent' expression, "It's not an invasion. That was a genuine crash landing. Angle of descent, colour of smoke, everything!" he grinned widely, "It's perfect!"

Poppy levelled a look on him, "And…?"

"And… maybe this is it," the Doctor enthused, "First contact. The day mankind officially comes into contact with an alien race. I'm not interfering because you've got to handle this on your own. That's when the human race finally grows up. Just this morning you were all tiny and small and made of clay! Now you can expand!" he laughed with delight and Poppy grinned, "You don't need me," he assured, "Go and celebrate history," he urged, "Spend some time with your mum."

"Yeah," Poppy nodded, "I should. Have fun on your wander," and the Doctor nodded and turned around starting away again, "Just," she called after him making him pause and turn back to her, "Are you coming back? Or is this goodbye?"

The Doctor stared at her quizzically, "Why would you think this is goodbye?"

"I dunno," Poppy shrugged with a small frown, "You were just trying to sneak off without a word and I thought maybe…" she shook her head as she trailed off.

"Poppy Tyler," the Doctor smiled, "This is in no way goodbye," he assured and started patting the pockets of his black leather jacket as he stepped back towards her, "Here," he pulled a small gold key out of his pocket and held it out to her.

"A key?" Poppy murmured as she accepted it looking the small key over.

"Tardis key," the Doctor explained.

Poppy's eyes widened with surprise and delight as her gaze shot to him, "Really?"

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "It's yours. Don't lose it," he cautioned seriously and the ginger swiftly nodded, watching as he patted his jacket pockets again, "And here," he held out a second small gold key, "One for your sister," he stated as Poppy took that one from him too, "It's about time the two of you had a key," he smiled, "And I wouldn't want Rose to accuse me of playing favourites."

Poppy arched an amused brow at him as she tilted her head slightly to the side as she eyed him, "Do you play favourites?"

"No. Course not," the Doctor stated almost hastily, tugging at his ear uncomfortably and Poppy's amusement grew as she watched him shift a touch uncomfortably. She grinned at him and the Doctor grinned back, "See you later!"

He turned and strode away Poppy stared after him a moment before she looked down at her key to the Tardis with another delighted grin.

The door to the Tyler flat opened and Rose stepped out looking for them, "Oi?!" the blond frowned as she came up beside her twin, "Where's he going?"

"For a wander," Poppy replied as she looked at her twin, seeing her unhappy and worried frown as she stared after the Doctor, "Here," she held out the key he'd given to her for her twin, drawing the blonde's gaze, "He left us a key to the Tardis each."

"Oh…" Rose blinked at it, before she reached up and took it from her twins grasp, "So…" the blond swallowed, unable to shake the concern that he wasn't going to come back for them, "He's not gonna disappear then?"

"Nope," Poppy assured with a reassuring grin for her sister as she closed her own hand a bit tighter around her own key. Still rather surprised and extremely delighted that he wanted her, the both of them, to have one, "He promised that this wasn't goodbye."

Rose nodded, "Good," she breathed, gripping her key tightly for reassurance, before together they turned back to flat and stepped back inside their home.

 ***O*O*O***

"Oi, gorgeous!" a woman from the third floor balcony of the Estate spotting the Doctor as he strolled away from the block of flats. She leaned over the railing turning from the party that she was taking part in, "Come back and join the party!"

The Doctor didn't pause or even look back at the woman's hollering as he continued on towards where he'd landed the Tardis much earlier that day.

On a balcony on a higher floor to the group partying, Mickey stepped out of his flat and over to his trainers, checking on the state of them. He looked out over the balcony his gaze landing on a man as he stopped in front of a sign hung in a shop window that said 'Hello ET'. He glanced away disinterested only to pause in the next second and turn back. His eyes widening with realisation as the Doctor turned from the sign and continue towards the Tardis, pulling a key from his pocket as he went.

"Oh, my God!" Mickey breathed, before he turned and dashed back inside, his trainers still clutched in his hands.

Mickey tore back out of his flat as fast as he could whilst the Doctor got the door unlocked and stepped inside, beaming a wide grin as he ran over to the console, he hit a few buttons on it before he turned a handle, staring up at it with another wide grin as the engines started up and the familiar wheeze started.

Mickey burst out from the block of flats and dashed towards the Tardis with a determined expression on his face, "Oi, Doctor!" he shouted as the Tardis began to disappear, fading in and out as it wheezed, "Doctooooooooor!" he threw himself at the Tardis hoping to somehow catch it, keep from disappearing completely somehow only for it to finish dematerialising and he slammed up against the heavily graffitied corrugated iron shutters of the closed up shop behind where the Tardis had been parked. He fell back, hitting the ground with a thud. Mickey swiftly got up, frowning as he cast furtive looks about the area to see if anyone had seen him run head first into the closed up shops shutters, before he turned and walked back the way he'd come with as much dignity as he could muster in that moment.

Whilst in the console room of the Tardis, the Doctor reached under the console with a slightly put-out expression on his face and pulled out a mallet, smacking the smoking console with it a couple of times. The Doctor beamed a wide grin at the console as the smoking stopped and he kissed the mallet, before he placed it back under the console, hanging it back up on the hook he kept it hung on.

 ***O*O*O***

Harriet stepped into the corridor outside of the Cabinet room and approached Indra who was sitting at his desk. She set the white mug that was sitting atop a saucer down on the desk by his elbow and smiled politely as he glanced at it and then looked up at her questioningly, "I bet no one's bought you a coffee," she let out a short laugh.

"Thank you," Indra nodded.

"Pleasure," Harriet replied, staring down at him expectantly as he moved to pick up the mug she'd set down by him.

Indra looked up at her again, pausing the mug still in hand, "You still can't go in," he informed her firmly.

"Damn, you've seen through my cunning plan," Harriet replied as she continued to stare at him hopefully.

"Look," Indra sighed, "I'm sorry," he shook his head as he got to his feet, "It's just impossible," he told her.

"Not even two minutes?" Harriet continued to try turning so that she could keep looking at him as the Junior Secretary walked around her and over to another of the desks.

Indra shook his head in response.

"I don't get many chances to walk these corridors," Harriet attempted to explain, refusing to give up before she'd achieved what she'd set out to that day, "I'm hardly one of the babes, just a faithful backbencher. And I know we've had a brave new world land right on our doorstep, and that's wonderful," Harriet frowned slightly as Indra grabbed the files he needed and started back towards his desk, "I think that's probably wonderful," she adjusted her statement as she followed him back over to his desk, "Nevertheless," she carried on despite Indra only really half listening to her now as he opened up the slim folder he'd picked up and looked at the files contained within, "Ordinary life keeps ticking away," she started to rifle through her handbag and pulled out a file of her own, "I need to enter this paper."

The door to the Cabinet Room opened and Harriet turned to see Joseph, Margaret and Oliver walking out, "Oh, Mr. Green, sir," she called, speaking hurriedly as she moved towards the three, the man turning to look at her, "I know you're busy," she hastened to add at the irritation on his face as he stared at her, "But could you put this on the next Cabinet agenda?" she proffered folder she was holding at him.

Joseph frowned at it, before looking at Harriet again, "What is it?"

"Cottage hospitals…" Harriet stated and Joseph glanced over at Indra incredulously, the Junior Secretary giving the acting Prime Minister an apologetic but resigned wave of his hand as Harriet soldier on, "I've worked out a system whereby cottage hospitals do not have to excluded from centres of excellence. You see, my mother's in the Flydale infirmary. That's my constituency," she explained as Joseph's incredulous eyes returned to her. The man's fraying patience wanning with every word out of her mouth, "Tiny little place, you wouldn't know it, but it's given me a chance to…"

"By all the saints, get some perspective, woman!" Joseph exclaimed incredulously, "I'm busy," he huffed and grabbed his jacket, giving Harriet a funny look as he filed passed her, an action that was copied by Margaret, Oliver and Indra as they all filed passed Harriet, the woman staring after them, her papers still clutched in her hands. When she was sure that the four of them were really gone, she turned and cautiously made her way towards the Cabinet Room, glancing about once more just in case before covertly slipping inside.

She carefully closed the door behind her and quietly walked over to the long table and set her papers down on it, placing them on top of the Ministerial Red Box. She shifted, turning to leave only to change her mind and turned back to her papers picking them up again. She opened the case instead and carefully slipped her papers inside. Satisfied that her proposal would be properly looked at now, Harriet moved to close the case again only to spot the folder with 'Emergency Protocols – Classified Information' stamped on the front of it. She swallowed and then unable to help herself pulled it out and she sat down on the chair in front of the case, opening the folder and started to read first page with awe written all over her face.

 ***O*O*O***

There was a thump and Doctor Sato stilled, pausing in going over her notes to listen for a moment, before she shook her head and went back to writing, dismissing the noise, only for the thump to come again. She let her pen fall to her desk as she turned in her chest, frowning as she cast her eyes about the mortuary. The thumping coming again and then again. She slowly stood, taking a couple of cautious steps away from her chair, before she stilled again, her eyes locking on the Cold Body Chamber that the deceased alien body had been placed in as the thumping continued, seemingly coming from inside... she swallowed heavily, eyeing the closed door to the Chamber warily as her heart beat uncomfortably in her chest and slowly… all so slowly started to creep cautiously towards the Chamber.

 ***O*O*O***

The Tardis wheezed as she materialised at her destination and the Doctor strolled away from the console and over to the door, pulling it open only to blink in mild confusion as he glanced around at the small storage space the Tardis had parked herself in. He squeezed out, barely fitting in the space between the door and the crate packed with boxes full of medical supplies. He started for the door, coming to a stop in front of it and pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. He aimed it at the locked door and flicked it on. It buzzed loudly and he hurriedly flicked it off again, "Shh!" he hushed it, a quieting finger pressed to his lips as he stared at the slender device a moment before he aimed it at the door again and flicked it on once more, grinning as the sonic buzzed a lot quieter than it did before.

 ***O*O*O***

Doctor Sato continued to slowly creep closer to the Cold Body Chamber, the thumping coming from inside it, becoming more frantic as though creature inside was scrambling about the enclosed space in a terrified panic.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor tucked his sonic back into his inside jacket pocket and opened the door, stepping out only to pause at the sight of the twentyish armed soldiers in the room, the laughter and chatter abruptly cutting off as they noticed him in turn. They stared, stunned, for a moment before the soldiers leapt to their feet, snatching up their weapons, levelling them on the man that had stepped out of the storeroom.

The Doctor stared at them calmly, arms at his sides, and then grinned. All the while pondering over just what he could say to get himself out of trouble.

 ***O*O*O***

Doctor Sato grasped the handle of the Cold Body Chamber door and slowly pulled open the door her heart hammering in her chest. She looked inside and then screamed, falling back as the frantic alien creature inside lunged out of the opening towards her.

 ***O*O*O***

The smile fell from the Doctor's face in an instant at the sound, "Defence plan delta!" he shouted as he ran to the door, "Come on, move, move!" and the soldiers broke into a quick run, following the Doctor out into the corridor as he led them through the hospital in the direction the terrified scream had come from.

The Doctor almost skidded to a stop as he spotted a woman in a doctor's coat cowering on the floor.

"It's alive!" she cried, her voice shaking with her fear and shock.

The Doctor turned to the soldiers that were behind him, "Spread out. Tell the perimeter it's a lockdown!" he ordered them, before he ran into the mortuary and to the cowering woman's side, eyeing the cut on her forehead with concern as he took her hands in his in the hopes of helping to calm her down and focus her attention.

"My God…" Sato breathed her eyes darting to the Doctor's as his hands gripped her own firmly, "It's still alive."

The Doctor turned his head and frowned at seeing the soldiers still lingering in the doorway, watching them, "Do it!" he snapped and the soldiers moved, following the Doctor's directives at a run, beginning their search of the building. Whilst the Doctor turned back to Sato, more blood from her wound trickling down from close to her hairline.

"I swear it was dead," she told him, her voice still trembling slightly as she stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Coma, shock, hibernation, anything," he suggested in explanation, "What does it look like?" he asked, only for his attention to be drawn away as a small scuffling sound came from behind them. He released the woman and quickly spun, "It's still here," he muttered as he stood, beckoning a soldier into the room as he moved towards the alien as it made another scuffling sound. The solider moving to the kneel by Sato.

The Doctor dropped to his knees and carefully shuffled forward to peer around behind the desk the sounds where coming from. His gaze landing on the face of a pig as it peered back at him a terrified snort escaping it, "Hello!" he greeted, only for the creature to let out a shrill terrified squeal before it ran out from behind the desk, revealing the spacesuit it was wearing as it ran as fast as it could on its hind legs.

The soldier readied his gun.

"Don't shoot!" the Doctor ordered as he scrambled back up to his feet and hurried after the fleeing creature. Only for a gunshot to ring out a second before the Time Lord ran out of the mortuary door, his gaze landed on the solider, "What did you do that for?!" the Doctor demanded tersely as he continued on down the corridor, "It was scared!" and the soldier looked down at the pig-like creature in alarm, unsure of what he could say in response to that… he hadn't been thinking. He'd merely reacted…

The Doctor crouched down by the dying pig, "It was scared," he murmured again as he reached down and stroked the scared animal as it took its last breathes.

 ***O*O*O***

"I've got the White House phoning me direct because Downing Street won't answer their calls. This is outrageous!"

Harriet Jones looked up from the confidential Emergency Protocols that she was reading as she heard the angry voice of General Asquith coming towards the Cabinet Room. She hastily set the folder to rights and slipped it back inside the Ministerial Red Box and closed the case.

"We haven't even started the vaccination programme. This is appalling!"

Harriet got up and slid the chair back into its place and crept hastily towards the door, glancing out the partially open door and her eyes widened at the sight of the General berating Joseph, Margaret and Oliver in the outer office. She quietly turned away, knowing that there was no way she'd be able to slip out unnoticed. She moved away from the door as she hurriedly glanced about for a place to hide as Asquith's voice continued to reach her through the door.

"The nations of the world are watching the United Kingdom!"

"Well, it has all been a bit of a shock," she recognised the voice of Joseph Green respond to the General's berating as she continued to look a bit frantically now for a place to hide herself away in until she could slip out without drawing any attention to the fact that she'd been in the Cabinet Room at all.

"This is the greatest crisis in modern history and you've done nothing!" Asquith continued his voice getting closer now and Harriet bit her lip, her gaze landing on a cupboard and she hurriedly started towards it, "Your behaviour has been shameful, sir. You're supposed to be in charge. We need positive leadership," she opened the cupboard door and slipped inside, "The capital's ground to a halt."

Harriet shut the cupboard door behind her a second before Asquith stepped into the Cabinet Room followed by Joseph, Margaret and Oliver.

"Furthermore, we can only assume that the Prime Minister's disappearance is the direct result of hostile alien action," Asquith turned to round on the trio behind him again, "And what have you been doing? Nothing."

"Sorry! Sorry. Uh…" Joseph eyed him, "I thought I was Prime Minister now."

"Only by default," Asquith retorted, eyeing the three distinctly unimpressed with them.

"Oooooh, that's not fair!" Joseph complained, grinning at the General as he continued, "I've been having such fun."

Asquith stared at him with outrage, "You think this is fun?!" he demanded.

"It's a hoot, this job," Joseph quipped and he, Margaret and Oliver laughed hysterically.

"Honestly!" Margaret exclaimed through her laughter, "It's super!" one of them let out a loud fart that had them laughing all over again.

"Oh!" Oliver exclaimed, "S'cuse me!" he farted again, "Ooo!" and the three burst into laughter once again.

"What's going on here?" Asquith demanded eyeing the three before him with increasing displeasure, "Where's the rest of the cabinet? Why haven't they been airlifted in?" he demanded to know.

"I cancelled it," Joseph stopped laughing long enough to reply, "They'd only get in the way," he farted, "Oh, there I go," he let loose a couple more loud farts, before Margaret let loose one of her own.

"Oh, and me!" she laughed, "I'm shaking my booty," the three burst into more hysterical laughter farts escaping them all the while.

"Sir!" Asquith exclaimed, completely incredulous and appalled, "Under Section Five of the emergency protocols, it is my duty to relieve you of command," he declared and Joseph stopped laughing and shifted, looking up at the General darkly, "And by God, I'll put this country under marshal law if I have to!"

"Oh, I'm scared," Joseph replied mockingly, "I mean that's hair-raising. I mean literally," he continued as he reached up to his forehead, "Look!" he found a zip that had been hidden under the skin and started pulling it across, a blue light pouring out. Margaret and Oliver reaching up and doing the same as Asquith looked on with bewilderment.

Whilst sequestered away in the cupboard, Harriet peered out through the crack her eyes widening at the sight of the large green aliens coming out of the human skins. She stepped back from the door, leaning against the back of the cupboard in horror as General Asquith screamed as the revealed aliens attacked.

 ***O*O*O***

"I just assumed that's what aliens look like," Sato murmured as she and the Doctor stood over the creature's body which had been brought back into the mortuary. She glanced up from it to look at the Doctor who had his arms crossed, "But you're saying it's an ordinary pig from Earth."

"More like a mermaid," he stated heavily, "Victorian showmen used to draw crowds by taking the skull of a cat, gluing it to a fish and calling it a mermaid," he explained as Sato stared at him, his gaze on the body, "Now someone's taken a pig, opened up its brain, stuck bits on… then they've strapped it in that ship and made it dive bomb. It must have been terrified. They've taken this animal and turned it into a joke."

"So it's a fake," Sato mused as she turned her gaze back down to the body, "A pretend. But the technology augmenting its brain… it's like nothing on Earth. It's alien. Aliens are faking aliens. But why would they do that…" she trailed as she turned to look at the Doctor again only to find herself alone in the mortuary, "Doctor?"

She hurried out the door, and looked up and down the long corridor, looking for him, "Doctor?" she called again, turning, a quizzical expression on her face as she heard a strange sort of wheezing sound coming from nearby.

 ***O*O*O***

"Here's to the Martians!" Jackie exclaimed merrily, her wine glass raised in a toast.

"The Martians!" Jackie's guests that were all packed into the living room cheered, raising their own glasses in toast.

Poppy rolled her eyes slightly at that and shifted in her spot on the settee, her arm brushing against Rose's, and the blond who'd been staring blankly at a random spot blinked and glanced at her twin to see her pulling her phone out of her pocket.

The ginger looked at the time and then glanced at Rose, "We should head up and see Mickey soon," she murmured and Rose let out a sigh but gave a small nod as she looked away. Poppy frowned at her, "You did want to go see Mickey…"

"Yeah! Course!" Rose quickly replied, "I just…" she blew out another breath as she frowned, "What can I… can we even say…?"

Poppy blew out a breath and slumped back against the settee with a slight troubled frown of her own. She opened her mouth to reply only for the laughter of the others in the flat to abruptly cut off and distracted Poppy glanced over, her gaze landing on her best friend as he stood in the doorway staring at her and Rose, "Mickey!" she sat up straight with a delighted grin at seeing him as Rose turned her head.

The blond straightened up herself as she stared at her boyfriend, with wide eyes, "We were gonna come see you."

"Crisis, with no head of state," a report on the telly continued as Mickey just stared at the two of them, "Since the Royal Family have been evacuated."

"Someone owes Mickey an apology," one of Jackie's female friends stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry," Poppy and Rose apologised together as they stared at Mickey with regret neither of them had meant to disappear on everyone for a whole year without a single word.

"Not you two," the same woman stated and the twin's blinked at her before following her gaze over to their mother who shifted a little guiltily.

"Well, it's not my fault!" Jackie huffed, only a little uncomfortably, "Be fair," she insisted as everyone in the flat stared at her, "What was I supposed to think?" she gave Mickey a look and then turned and headed into the kitchen and Poppy frowned after her.

"Mum?" she followed her, a bad feeling twisting in her stomach, Rose and Mickey following her across the living room, "What did you think?"

 ***O*O*O***

"You two disappear, who do they turn to? The best friend and the boyfriend," Mickey groused unhappily as the four occupied the kitchen, "Five times I was taken in for questioning. Five times," and Poppy winced, "No evidence. Course, there couldn't be, could there? And then I get her, your mother," he pointed at Jackie who rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she sat on one of the kitchen chairs, "Whispering around the estate, pointing the finger. Stuff through my letterbox, and all 'cos of the two of you," he pointed at the twins.

"We're sorry, Mickey. Really," Poppy apologised again and Mickey crossed his arms staring at her unimpressed.

"We didn't think we'd be gone so long," Rose insisted apologetically.

"And, I waited for the two of you!" Mickey continued, his arms uncrossing again, "Twelve months, waiting for my best friend and my girlfriend and the Doctor to come back."

"Hold on," Jackie frowned, eyeing Mickey unhappily, "You knew about the Doctor? Why didn't you tell me?"

Mickey looked at Jackie before noticing one of the many guests in the living room trying to be a nosey busybody and quickly shut the open doors to the hatch in the wall, "Yeah, yeah," Mickey huffed as he shifted about the kitchen swiftly shutting the kitchen door so that none of the guests could easily listen in that way either, "Why not, Poppy, Rose?" he turned to them, "How could I tell her where you went."

"Mickey…" Poppy murmured, hating that she'd… that they'd both unintentionally hurt him.

"Tell me now," Jackie insisted.

"I might as well, 'cos you're both stuck here," Mickey revealed, "The Doctor's gone," Rose stilled her eyes widening with alarm, whilst Poppy cocked her head at him slightly.

"He's gone off on a wander," Poppy waved him off easily, "He'll be back," and Rose swallowed and gave a jerky nod of agreement, even as doubt clawed at her horribly. That he'd shown the both of them something completely amazing and then had just disappeared leaving the both of them behind.

"Oh yeah?" Mickey challenged, "Well, just now," he gestured over his shoulder as he continued adamantly, "That box thing of his just faded away."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked heavily, her heart picking up speed.

"He's left you," Mickey stated his arms folding across his chest again, before his gaze drifted over to Poppy, "Some boyfriend he turned out to be," he huffed.

"He's just off on a wan…" Poppy trailed as Rose ran out of the flat grabbing a jacket off the back of the kitchen door as she went.

Poppy sighed and shot Mickey a look, resisting the urge to swat him over the back of his head for pressing Rose's very press-able buttons, before she hastily followed after her twin grabbing her own jacket off the back of the kitchen door as she went. Mickey blinked and then turned and followed after the pair of them.

Jackie continued to sit, her arms crossed a frustrated scowl on her face as she let out an annoyed huffing breath.

 ***O*O*O***

"He wouldn't just go," Rose frowned as the three of them stood together looking at the spot the Tardis had been. She turned her head to look at Poppy, her brow still furrowed, "You said he promised this wasn't goodbye."

"He did," Poppy replied reassuringly.

"Oh, he's dumped you," Mickey stated flippantly, earning a frown from Poppy as the twin's attention turned to him, "Sailed off into space. How does it feel, huh?" he huffed at them, "Now you two are left behind with the rest of us Earthlings. Get used to it."

"Not helping," Poppy muttered at him, before releasing a sigh as Rose turned her gaze back to the spot the Tardis had been.

"But he would have said," the blond insisted, swallowing heavily past the anxious lump in her throat as she took in the empty space again.

"He _did,_ " Poppy replied as Jackie walked towards them, the eldest Tyler woman still a bit irritated at being kept in the dark as to where her two children had been off to for twelve whole months, "He's off on a wander…"

"What're you three chimps going on about?" Jackie demanded to know, cutting Poppy off, "What's going on? What's this Doctor done now?"

"Nothing," Poppy replied, "He's just doing what he said he was going too…"

Mickey chortled as he cut her off, "He's vamoosed!" he exclaimed, still chortling even as Poppy shot him an irritated look for adding more fuel to Rose's fear that they'd been left behind.

"He hasn't," Poppy insisted calmly, still resisting the urge to swat at the back of Mickey's head, "He left us keys," she pulled out the key she'd been given and showed it to him. Mickey opened his mouth and Poppy pointed a finger at him, her eyes narrowing, "Don't start!" she huffed, "He's not my boyfriend."

"What is he Rose's then?" Mickey asked, his gaze shooting to Rose who had her own key resting on her palm.

"No!" Rose huffed, shooting her boyfriend a look, "Mickey, he's better than that," she insisted as Mickey merely stared at her, "He much more important than…" she trailed as the Tardis keys began to glow a moment before a familiar wheezing started.

"Ha!" Poppy grinned, shooting Mickey and then Rose a look, "Told ya so! Just off on a wander," she grinned.

"Mum!" Rose turned to Jackie as the sound of the engines got louder, "Mum, go inside, don't just stand there."

"Mum, you probably really want to go back inside," Poppy added, but Jackie Tyler was too busy staring at the spot the sound was emanating from to really pay heed to anything that her children were saying.

"Mum, just…" Rose tried again, trying to urge her mum into movement.

"To late," Poppy sighed as the Tardis started to fade in and out as it materialised back in the exact spot it had been before.

"Oh blimey," Rose breathed as Jackie Tyler stared at the materialised Tardis with eyes wide with shock and awe.

"Uh?" Mickey pointed meaningfully at the materialised Tardis.

"How'd you do that then?" Jackie breathed.

Poppy scratched at her forehead as she eyed her mum, "Don't suppose you'd be willing to believe 'trick of the light?'" Jackie merely continued to stare wide eyed at the big blue box that had appeared out of thin air in front of them, "Yeah," Poppy sighed, "Didn't think so," she muttered as she and Rose stared at their mum a little warily.

 ***O*O*O***

"Alright! So, I lied," the Doctor stated not looking up from the monitor he was staring at, his back to the door as it opened and Poppy and Rose stepped inside, the blond clicking the door quietly shut behind her, "I went had a look."

"Knew you wouldn't be just wandering off around the block," Poppy nodded and got a slightly annoyed look from Rose, that had the ginger arching a brow at the blond as the pair of them approached the console.

"Yes, well…" the Doctor scratched at his ear, glancing at Poppy as she and Rose came up on either side of them, "The whole crash landing's a fake," he continued on, deciding not to comment as he returned his gaze to the console monitor, "I thought so, it's just too perfect. I mean, 'hitting Big Ben' come on, I just thought, let's go take a look…" he explained quickly.

"Our mum's here," Rose muttered after a moment of silence had passed and the Doctor paused, the sound of the door creaking open behind them again, sounding rather ominous to him this time and he whirled around to see Jackie stepping inside followed by Mickey.

"Oh," he groaned with exasperation, "That's just what I need," he turned to the twin's pinning them both with an unhappy look, "Don't you two dare make this place domestic!" he grumbled at them before he turned adamantly back to the console, ignoring the looks the twins were giving him in response.

"You ruined my life, Doctor!" Mickey accused hotly as he started towards the console, the Doctor spinning around to face him in response, "They thought I was a murder suspect because of you!"

"See what I mean?" the Doctor asked pinning Poppy and Rose with another look each, "Domestic," he huffed sourly, before he spun back to the monitor determined to ignore all the domestics now until they inevitably went away.

Mickey marched a few more steps towards him, "I bet you don't even remember my name!" he accused again.

"Ricky," the Doctor replied without missing a beat.

Mickey scowled at him, "It's Mickey!"

"No, it's Ricky," the Doctor couldn't help, but needle him a bit, rather easily ignoring the look Poppy was giving him.

"I think I know my own name," Mickey shot back rather annoyed now.

The Doctor paused, before turning to look at him incredulous, "You _think_ you know your own name? How stupid are you?"

"Oi!" Poppy scowled at the Doctor, "Stop it," she huffed at him. The Doctor opened his mouth to retort only for Poppy turn to away from him as Rose let out a cry.

"Mum, don't!"

"Ah… mum!" Poppy called seeing her running out of the Tardis doors. The ginger turned hurriedly back to the Doctor, "Behave yourself!" she told him, he opened his mouth only for Poppy to be turning away, "Both of you," she settled a look on Mickey before she started for the doors, "Mum!"

"Don't go anywhere!" Rose told the Doctor adamantly as she moved to hurry after her twin, before she turned back to Mickey, "Don't start a fight!" she demanded before she was following Poppy out of the Tardis doors.

"Mum, mum!" Poppy called as she chased after Jackie, "Will you stop, please!" she tried only for Jackie to pick up her pace, "We can explain…" Jackie shook her head and Poppy trailed.

"Mum, it's not like that!" Rose tried, the twin's steps faltering in the pursuing of their mum as Jackie just kept going, "He's not…"

"Mum…" Poppy trailed again and sighed, glancing back at the open Tardis door that was calling to her, biting her lower lip, "Oh, I'm such a bad daughter," she mumbled regretfully, knowing that she should follow her fleeing mum back inside but…

"We both are," Rose murmured as she stared at their mum's rapidly retreating form as she headed back to her flat, "We'll be up in a minute, hold on!" she shouted and then the two were turning back and hurrying back into the Tardis.

"That was a real spaceship?" Rose asked as she and Poppy ran back over to the Doctor peering at the monitor he was staring at again.

"Yep," the Doctor replied.

"But not a real crash landing?" Poppy half-stated half-questioned as she peered at the monitor curiously.

"That's right," the Doctor nodded.

"So, it's all a pack of lies," Rose nodded, "What is it, then, are they invading?" she questioned glancing at the Doctor for answers.

Mickey, who'd grudgingly wandered over to them and was standing on the balls of his feet to peer at the screen over their shoulders spoke, "Funny way to invade," he commented, "Putting the world on red alert."

The Doctor glanced at him surprised and grudgingly mildly impressed, "Good point! So, what're they up to?"

Poppy scratched her forehead thoughtfully, "Well, I'd say they're putting on a bit of show, but…" she frowned as the Doctor, Rose and Mickey looked at her, "Why bother putting on a show? What do they gain?"

"Two excellent questions," the Doctor nodded as he turned back to the monitor, "Let's find out, eh?" he murmured with a bit of a grin as he shifted away from the console to get started on what he needed to do to find out more.

Poppy, Rose and Mickey staring after him with varying degrees of curiosity as he shifted about the console room.

 ***O*O*O***

"As the crisis continues and the government shows remarkable lack of leadership, paranoia sweeps the country," a report on the telly in Jackie's bedroom was saying as Jackie sank down on the end of her bed, shifting restlessly and expelling a frustrated sigh, kneading her forehead with the palm of her hands as the reporter continued, "There've been at least three reports of public assaults on people falsely identified as aliens."

Jackie swallowed heavily, shifting on the end of her bed again, anxiety burning in her gut as she thought of the strange blue box that had appeared out of nowhere and it's bigger on the inside interior that didn't seem like it should be possible…

"Now," the reporter carried on, "Back to Tom Hitchinson."

Jackie fell back against her bed, her hands pressed anxiously over her face as the telly in her room cut to Tom Hitchinson.

"Are there more ships to come?" Hitchinson questioned and Jackie shifted on the bed again, her hands lowering from her face as she turned to look at the telly as the reporter continued, "And what is their intention? The authorities are now asking if anyone knows anything. If any previous sighting has been made, then call this number," Jackie bit her lower lip as a phone number appeared on the screen and she reached for the house telephone. Her eyes going back to the telly phone in hand as Hitchinson stated, "We need your help."

Jackie dialled the number displayed on the screen only to get the busy tone. She tried again, only for the same thing to happen as Hitchinson continued with his report. She tried a third time and she all but leapt to her feet as the call managed to connect, "Yes!" she exclaimed, "I've seen one. I really have, an alien. And they're with him. My twin daughters, they're with him. And they're not safe. Oh, my God…" she trailed fingers touching her lips, terrified for her children, "They're not safe," Jackie exhaled and sank back down on the end of her bed as she attempted to calm herself down even slightly, "I've seen an alien," she continued more calmly than before, "And I know his name, he's called 'The Doctor'."

 ***O*O*O***

On a computer screen in 10 Downing Street, the words 'The Doctor' are typed into database search.

 ***O*O*O***

"It's a box," Jackie continued to explain trying to remember what her children had called it as she described it, "A blue box."

 ***O*O*O***

'Blue Box' got typed into the database, adding to the search criteria.

 ***O*O*O***

"They called it a Tardis," Jackie recalled the strange word they'd used when they'd tried to explain the stranger on the inside blue box.

 ***O*O*O***

'Tardis' got typed into the database and an alarm sounded shrilly as Indra's computer screen flashed with a 'red alert' – 'The Doctor' as Indra entered into the room at a brisk run to check on what had set the alarm off.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor lay wedged in a space under the console, his sonic screwdriver clamped between his teeth and his brow furrowed in concentration as he fiddled with the wiring. His fingers paused as his gaze strayed to Poppy who was stood close by, her back leant against the console as she watched what he was doing with a quiet but intense interest. He turned his gaze back to what he was doing, fingers moving over the wires again for a couple of moments, before he was pausing again his eyes drifting to Poppy once more. The ginger in the same position as before, quietly just watching him, what he was doing. Her hands clasped together in front of her, fingers interlaced with each other as if to almost say 'see? Keeping twitchy tinkerer fingers to myself'. Her gaze shifted from his still fingers to meet his gaze and she blinked her expression turning a little quizzical at finding him staring at her. He gestured for her to come closer with a jerk of his head.

Poppy arched a brow as she shifted closer, kneeling down beside his head as the Time Lord pulled his sonic screwdriver from between his teeth, "Do you see those thick wires there?" he gestured to a group of wires that were clumped together, brushing against the thinner more delicate wires he was working with.

Poppy nodded as she eyed the thick wires, "Yeah," she replied as her gaze returned to him.

"Hold them up out of my way would you?" the Doctor muttered before moving to put the sonic back between his teeth.

"Sure," Poppy nodded, eyeing him a little strangely, somewhat surprised by the request after all it hadn't been that long at all since… "But…" she hedged and the Doctor paused again his eyes darting to her, his brow creasing slightly, "What happened to keeping my 'twitchy tinkerer fingers to myself?"

The Doctor pulled the sonic from between his teeth again, "Yeah well, that's still…" he muttered glancing away from her as he mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, "I just," he glanced back to her again and shrugged slightly, "Don't see any problem with you helping me out every once in a while. If you want to…?"

"I do!" Poppy beamed an elated tongue in teeth grin at him, her heart warming, swelling with delight just as it had done when he'd given her a key to the Tardis.

The Doctor grinned back, his hearts picking up a little speed once more, "Good," he moved to put the sonic screwdriver between his teeth once more and Poppy shifted a bit more so that she could reach the thick wires he wanted her to hold out of the way without getting in his light.

Rose sighed softly from where she stood watching the two of them for a moment longer, before her gaze drifted to Mickey who was quietly wandering around the console. His back to her for the moment.

The Doctor pulled the sonic from his mouth and sat up, "Fantastic, now," he took the thick wires from Poppy's hand placed them back under the console and held out two different coloured wire towards her, "Take these two and twine them together anti-clockwise."

"Anti-clockwise," Poppy nodded as she took the different coloured wires from his fingers, "Gotcha," she started fiddling as the Doctor lay back down, and started working on a different section of wiring buzzing his sonic at them briefly before placing it between his teeth again.

Mickey turned wandering around the console and came to a stop by Poppy, peering down at what the two were doing with curiosity, "So," he started and Poppy glanced up from the long lengths wire she was twining together briefly to see him peering down at them, "What're you two doing?"

"At the moment… I'm twisting wires together… not entirely sure on the why…?" she gave the Doctor a hopeful look that the Time Lord ignored as he continued working, the man rather hopeful that Mickey would take the hint and go away again all on his own.

"Right," Mickey muttered with a nod, he could see that, "So, what're you doing then, Doctor?" he asked as he focused his gaze on the Doctor.

The Doctor rolled his eyes in mild irritation at Mickey's continued persistence, "Ricky," he said, his voice muffled around the sonic that was still in his mouth.

"Mickey," he corrected his eyes narrowing on the Time Lord with irritation.

The Doctor took the sonic out of his mouth and looked up at him, "Ricky," he repeated.

"Doctor, it's Mickey," Poppy stated as she paused in what she was doing to look at the Time Lord her eyes narrowing on him.

"Ricky," the Doctor repeated stubbornly and Poppy rolled her eyes whilst Mickey huffed out an annoyed breath, something that the Time Lord ignored as he continued, "If I was to tell you what I was doing to the controls of my frankly magnificent time ship, would you even begin to understand?"

"I suppose not…" Mickey admitted slightly abashed by the Doctor's tone, but no less irritated by the man.

"Shut it then," the Doctor huffed and Poppy looked after Mickey for a moment as he turned and walked away after giving the Time Lord a look. Poppy turned her gaze back to the Time Lord who paused, in putting his sonic screwdriver back between his teeth at the rather irritated look she was giving him, "What?"

"You're a jerk," Poppy huffed at him as she scowled.

"Sort of, yeah," the Doctor murmured with a nod, eyeing her almost cautiously, wondering if she was as angry as her scowl suggested, but then the corners of her lips twitched upwards slightly as she looked away. Her eyes returning to the wires she was holding in her hands as she tried really hard not to… despite her efforts however, the corners of her lips continued to twitch up into a tiny smile. And the Doctor beamed a pleased grin, "Have you finished twisting those wires together?" he asked.

"Uh," Poppy focused her attention on the length of wires, "Yeah," she held it out to him.

The Doctor glanced at the twisted together wires and frowned displeased, "I said anti-clockwise, not clockwise," he grumbled.

"It _is_ anti-clockwise," Poppy retorted and held it up a bit more for him to see.

The Doctor blinked at the wires again, "Oh, right. Never mind," he grinned, "Fantastic. Just set it down there," he gestured to one of the grated panels by his head, "I'll grab it in a minute. Right. Now. Take hold of this wire and this one. _Don't_ let the ends of 'em touch though," he stated seriously as Poppy accepted the two ends of wire, keeping them a distance apart so the ends wouldn't touch, "Not till I say they can."

"You ever gonna say what it is I'm helping you do?" Poppy asked with mild amusement as the Doctor started fiddling with something else under the console.

The Doctor paused and glanced at her again, "Isn't more fun not knowing?" he questioned and Poppy pouted at him slightly.

"No…" Poppy trailed as the Doctor grinned, "Sort of… not really… oh, shh!" she huffed, "I totally want to know!" she whinged still being careful to keep the wires she was holding separated steady and not touching. The Time Lord laughed as he stuck the sonic screwdriver back between his teeth, whilst Poppy's lips twitched up into another smile, her tongue between her teeth as she watched him work under the console.

Rose shifted around the console, moving to stand by Mickey on the other side of it to where Poppy and the Doctor where.

"Some friend you two have got," Mickey muttered as he glanced at her.

"He's winding you up," Rose tried to assure her boyfriend. Mickey however merely looked at her and Rose bit her lower lip as their eyes met. The blond reading the pain in his eyes, "I am sorry," she murmured.

"Ok," Mickey mumbled and glanced away.

"I am, though!" Rose insisted earnestly and Mickey glanced at her again, "We both are. We honestly didn't mean to…"

"Every day," Mickey cut in, "I looked. On every street corner, wherever I went, looking for a blue box for a whole year."

"It's only been a few days for Poppy and me," Rose murmured, "I don't know, it's…" she trailed as she thought about it, "It's hard to tell inside this thing, but it's just been a few days if that since we left you."

"Not enough time to miss me, then?" Mickey murmured, eyeing Rose who smiled at him fondly.

"I did miss you."

Mickey smiled back, "I missed you."

"So, erm…" Rose shifted a bit uncomfortably as she eyed Mickey now as a thought occurred to her, "In twelve months, have you been seeing anyone else?" she asked, bracing herself for the answer as the words left her.

"No," Mickey stated.

"Kay…" Rose nodded, body relaxing slightly, lips quirking up in a relieved smile, rather glad that he hadn't, despite the length of time that had passed for him.

"Mainly because everyone thinks I murdered you and your sister," Mickey tacked on, shifting slightly uncomfortably himself now.

"Right," Rose nodded, swallowing as she looked away from him, teeth abusing her lower lip at the dull flash of hurt those words evoked, but she supposed she deserved them… a whole twelve months and her family, their friends… they'd all thought he killed her and Poppy. God, what a year he must've had.

"So…" Mickey began trailing and Rose returned her gaze to him, whilst on the other side of the console the Doctor signalled Poppy to touch the two ends of the wires she was holding separated together, "Now that you've come back… are you gonna stay?"

Mickey slowly leaned in to kiss Rose, only for the blond to be distracted by the sudden sound of sparks flying on the other side of the console and Poppy letting out a slightly startled sound, "Got it!" the Doctor cheered with a beaming grin, "Haha!" he leapt up from under the console.

"Coulda warned me," Poppy muttered only slightly disgruntled as she let the Doctor pull her to her feet, before following him as he hurried over to the monitor on the console, Rose and Mickey moving around the console to join them.

"Patched in the radar," the Time Lord began to explain and Poppy's slight disgruntlement evaporated as she listened intently, "Looped it back 12 hours so we can follow the flight of the spaceship, here we go… hold on…" he wacked the monitor screen.

"Is that necessary?" Poppy asked, grimacing at being so rough with technology.

"Yes, it is," the Doctor retorted, "Come on!" he grumbled at the monitor before giving it another smack.

The screen flickered to the right image and the Doctor shifted it so that Poppy and Rose could see the graphic that had appeared on it, forcing Mickey to budge up closer to Rose to be able to get a look at it, "That's the spaceship on its way to Earth… see?" he pointed out the travel path, "Except… hold on… see, the spaceship did a sling shot round the Earth before it landed."

"What does that mean?" Rose asked, glancing from the graphic to the Time Lord.

"It means it came from Earth in the first place," the Doctor replied, "It went up and came back down. Whoever those aliens are, they haven't just arrived. They've been here for a while. The question is, what have they been doing?"

Poppy frowned, "If they've been here for a while…" she began after a beat of silence, glancing at the Doctor, "Why would they suddenly want our attention now? I mean you don't stage a show spaceship crash and not want the world watching… so, what? Remaining unseen and unnoticed wasn't helping them get what they want anymore…?"

"Perhaps not…" the Doctor muttered frowning thoughtfully himself as he pondered over the reasons these aliens could possibly have for wanting the entire world, the whole of the human race, watching… waiting for their next move…

 ***O*O*O***

"What do you think?" the alien that had been occupying Oliver's skin asked as he now stood inside the skin of General Asquith, "How's the compression? I think I've got too much ballast round the middle…" he farted, "Ah, that's better."

"We've really got to fix the gas exchange," Margaret commented as Harriet watched on wide eyed with shock and confusion from inside the cupboard, "It's getting ridiculous."

"I don't know, it seems very human to me," Joseph remarked, "Ah," he murmured as he glanced at the discarded skin of Oliver as it lay over the back of one of the chairs where it had been thrown by the alien now in Asquith, "Better get rid of his skin."

"Shame!" Asquith remarked as he picked up the previous skin he'd been using, "I quite enjoyed being Oliver. He had a wife, a mistress, and a young farmer," he stated conversationally as he made his way over to the cupboard and Harriet quietly backed away from the door, retreating into the shadows as much as she possibly could. Asquith opened the cupboard door and carelessly tossed the discarded skin of Oliver inside, before looking back at Margaret and Joseph, "God, I was busy," he huffed and the three laughed boisterously.

"Back to work!" Joseph exclaimed as they calmed and Asquith shut the cupboard door, turning from it completely.

"I have an army to command!" he exclaimed.

"Careful now…" Margaret cautioned as the three started from the room, "We're not there yet," whilst in the cupboard Harriet carefully picked up the discarded skin, examining it with a sick feeling rising in her gut.

Joseph, Margaret and Asquith where brought up short in the outer office to the Cabinet Room as Indra rushed up to them.

"General Asquith!" he exclaimed slightly out of breath, "Sir, we've had a priority alarm. It's code nine," the three blinked at him as Indra continued, "Confirmed code nine."

Whilst Harriet dropped the skin and hurried out of the cupboard, moving quietly towards the door to listen in on what was going on just outside the Cabinet Room.

"Right! Good!" Asquith nodded, "Code nine, huh?" he stared at Indra questioningly as the younger man stared at him expectantly, "Which would mean…?" he trailed as Margaret gave a small apologetic laugh whilst Joseph shook his head.

"Well, in the event of the emergency protocols being activated…" Indra began to explain, "We've got software that automatically searches all communications for key words. And one of those words is 'Doctor'. I think we've found him, sir."

Margaret frowned slightly, "What sort of Doctor? Who is he?"

"Well, evidentially he's some sort of expert in extra-terrestrial affairs," Indra replied, "The ultimate expert! And we need him, sir. We need him here right now!"

Inside the Cabinet Room Harriet shifted about a touch anxiously pulling a bit of a face as her mind raced with everything she was learning, still trying to wrap her mind about the fact that aliens where seemingly wearing human skin suits of some-kind.

 ***O*O*O***

Inside the Tardis console room Poppy, Rose and Mickey watched as the Doctor flicked through channels on the scanner as they searched for any new developments on the news on the 'crash landing'.

"How many channels do you get?" Mickey couldn't help but ask. His curiosity getting the better of him as he glanced at the Time Lord.

"All the basic packages," the Doctor responded neutrally, unwittingly encouraging Mickey to continue.

"You get sports channels?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes annoyed already, "Yes, I get the football," he grumbled.

"Oh!" Poppy grinned, "I'll have to remember that," she murmured musingly and shot the Doctor a wide cheeky tongue in teeth grin as he gave her a pained look that clearly said 'don't encourage him'.

Rose shook her head, lips quirking in amusement whilst the Doctor rolled his eyes before he turned his attention back to the screen in front of them and he stopped flicking the channel, "Hold on, I know that bloke!" he exclaimed, his attention snagged.

"It is looking likely that the government is bringing in alien specialists, those people who have devoted their lives to outer space," the reporter on the telly informed them.

"UNIT!" the Doctor exclaimed happily, "United Nations Intelligence Task force, good people," he stated, earning curious looks from his companions.

"How do you know them?" Rose asked.

"Cos he's worked for them," Mickey answered to their surprise, sounding rather smug, "Yeah, don't think I sat on my backside for 12 months, Doctor. I read up on you," he stated, "You look deep enough on the internet… and the history books, and there's his name. Followed by a list of the dead."

"That's nice," the Doctor responded blandly outwardly unaffected by those words that had him internally flinching, "Good boy, Ricky,"

"If you know them why don't you go and help?" Rose asked quizzically.

"They wouldn't recognize me," he replied with a small shrug.

Poppy eyed him with quirked brows, "Wouldn't recognise you?"

"Well, I've changed a lot since the old days," the Doctor shrugged evasively, waving her questioning look off as he continued, "Besides, the worlds on a knife-edge. There's aliens out there and fake aliens. We want to keep this alien out of the mix," he decided brightly, "I'm going undercover… and eh, better keep the Tardis out of sight," he turned to Mickey, "Ricky! You've got a car – you can do some driving," he stated, ignoring the look the boy gave him as he straightened up and headed for the door.

"Where to?!" Mickey called after him, before scrambling to his feet realizing that he was being left behind by the three of them, Poppy and Rose already up and quickly following him towards the closed doors of the Tardis.

"The roads are clearing. Let's go and have a look at that spaceship," the Doctor responded with a grin, before he opened the door and stepped out into the night.

The four were immediately blinded by a helicopters searchlight, "Do not move!" a voice amplified by a loudspeaker ordered them.

At the sight of the police cars and soldiers surrounding them with guns pointed at them, Mickey grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her into a run. The blond gasping softly, moving with him only realising that it was just him and her when they were safely hidden behind some nearby dustbins, the two peeking out to see Poppy and the Doctor still stood under the spotlight, now completely surrounded.

"Oh my God!" Rose breathed, "Poppy!"

"Don't!" Mickey whispered urgently, firming his grip on his girlfriend's hand, "She'll be fine," he swallowed heavily, his eyes one his best friend, wishing that he'd been close enough to her to grab her hand too, "Poppy will be fine."

Jackie who'd been drawn out of her flat by the noise moved to run to her daughter only to get stopped by a couple of soldiers, "No!" she shouted desperately as they held her back, "Poppy?! Poppy?!" she glanced around frantically trying to break free, only for the soldiers to hold her firmly in place, "Where's Rose?! Oh my God!" she cried with alarm as she couldn't see one of her children when she knew they'd both been with the Doctor when she'd went inside, "Where's Rose?!" her gaze went back to the daughter she could see, "Poppy!"

Poppy tried to mouth, 'She's fine,' to her mum, but wasn't sure her mum even noticed with how she was desperately trying to break free of the soldier's keeping her from running over to her. The ginger refrained from looking in the direction her twin and Mickey had run off in and where now peering discreetly out from behind some dustbins. Not wanting to draw attention to them. She'd been going to run after them, but she'd been a beat too late as the soldiers had been closing in and she would have given them away… and the soldiers, they were armed, and the last thing she wanted was to get any of them shot.

"Raise your hands above your head!" Poppy lifted her hands into the air at the same time the Doctor did as the same amplified voice continued, "You are under arrest!"

"Take me to your leader!" the Doctor shouted up to them over the sound of the hovering helicopter, grinning widely.

"Seriously?!" Poppy bemoaned as she shot the Doctor an incredulous look, her hands still raised in the air.

"I've always wanted to say that," the Doctor replied, shooting her a rather cheery grin and Poppy shook her head, her eyes going back to the soldiers surrounding them as a few approached them, weapons thankfully lowering.

 ***O*O*O***

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Poppy murmured as she glanced around the car they'd been ushered into, "But this is all a bit… posh for an arrest."

"Well, that'd be 'cos we're not being arrested," the Doctor replied with a grin and Poppy turned her gaze to him again, "We're being escorted!"

"Oh," Poppy nodded, glancing around the interior of the car again with appreciation, "Course we are…" she trailed, arching a questioning brow at him as she looked at him quizzically again, "Escorted where?"

The Doctor shot her a look, "Where'd you think?"

Poppy shot him a look in return, "Seriously?" she checked.

"Seriously," the Doctor nodded, grinning at her.

Poppy's lips twitched up into a returning grin, "Seriously!" she exclaimed rather giddily in that moment as excitement surged.

"Seriously!" the Doctor nodded with a bit of a laugh as he took in her giddy delight.

"Downing Street!" Poppy exclaimed with a bit of a giddy laugh as she continued to grin, "10 Downing Street?!"

"That's the one!" the Doctor enthused.

"Oh my God!" Poppy exclaimed, laughter still in her voice, "I'm going to 10 Downing Street!" it was completely barmy! Her being escorted to 10 Downing Street. She took a calming breath as she thought about that, "Why?"

The Doctor's expression fell slightly, "I hate to say it, but Mickey was right," he grimaced over the words, "Over the years I've visited this planet a lot of times, and I've been uh, noticed," the Doctor admitted.

Poppy nodded, "Yeah, I kinda realised… they need you. Why me, though? What do I really know about aliens?"

"Well, you were with me," the Doctor shrugged.

"Right course," Poppy's lips quirked up in amusement, "I forgot," her smile turning into a grin as she teased, "The entire word revolves around you."

The Doctor grinned at her in amusement, "Sort of, yeah!" the two broke into laughter, "Seriously though," the Time Lord murmured as they calmed again a short moment later, "It's like they said on the news. They're gathering experts on alien knowledge," he explained, "And who's the biggest expert of the lot?"

Poppy eyed him, "Patrick Moore," she stated.

The Doctor's face fell dramatically as he eyed her, "Apart from him…"

Poppy shrugged doing her best to make the action casual as she fought the urge to laugh, "I dunno… Yoda?"

The Doctor shot her a disgruntled look, "Poppy!"

"Made you make a face," Poppy laughed exuberantly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her teasing, his lips twitching upwards despite his efforts to maintain a somewhat affronted look, "I'm telling you, Lloyd George, he used to drink me under the table," he exclaimed.

Poppy blinked, her brows shooting upwards, "Seriously?!" she questioned a bit impressed.

"Hmm, yep…" the Doctor nodded and then blinked, pinning Poppy with a questioning look, "Who's Prime Minister now?"

"You're asking me?" Poppy questioned shooting him a look, "I've missed a year," she reminded him a bit flatly.

 ***O*O*O***

The car pulled up outside 10 Downing Street and the Doctor and Poppy stepped out of the car and into the flashing lights of the paparazzi.

"Oh, blimey!" Poppy muttered lowly as she gave the paparazzi a slightly nervous smile, whilst the Doctor grinned exuberantly at them and gave them a jaunty wave. Poppy turned her eyes up the grand building up ahead of them, "Oh… wow," she breathed awed, almost completely forgetting about the paparazzi as she stared up at the building, following the Doctor towards it as he started for it.

 ***O*O*O***

"So," Jackie addressed the three police officers in her living room, "She's alright then?" she asked, "She's not in any trouble?"

"Well," a heavy police officer that had introduced himself as Strickland began, "All I can say is, your daughter and her companion might be in a position to help the country."

Jackie frowned slightly, biting her lower lip as she gave a small nod, her mind jumping back to her concern for Rose, just where she'd gotten to.

"We'll need to know how she made contact with this man," Strickland continued, drawing Jackie's gaze back to him, "If he is a man," he sat a loud grumbling noise came from his belly, "Oof. Right," he shifted glancing at the other two officers in the Tyler flat with him, "Off you go then. I need to talk with Mrs. Tyler on my own, thank you."

The two other officers nodded to him, before they gave a parting nod to the, anxious for both of her children, Jackie before they turned and headed out of the flat.

 ***O*O*O***

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice called and Poppy who'd been glanced about the room turned her gaze to the young man that had entered, "Can we convene? Quick as you can, please," he called to them as they all started ambling forward, "It's this way on the right," he continued as the Doctor and Poppy approached to walk past him, "And can I remind you ID cards are to be warn at all times," he handed one to the Doctor, "Here's your ID card," his gaze went to Poppy as she glanced at it curiously, "I'm sorry," he apologised as his gaze flicked back to the Doctor, "Your companion doesn't have clearance."

The Doctor stared at the man flatly, "I don't go anywhere without her," he stated firmly whilst he looped the ID card around his neck.

Indra shook his head, biting back a sigh of exasperation as he took in the stubborn look on the Doctor's face, "You're the code 9, not her," he replied just as firmly, "I'm sorry, Doctor… it is the Doctor, isn't it? she'll have to stay outside."

The Doctor frowned at the man and set his jaw stubbornly as he regarded Indra with a flat level stare, "She's staying with me."

"Look," Indra tried, his already rather frayed patience wanning further, "Even I don't have clearance to go in there," Poppy glanced from the Doctor's stubborn expression to Indra's firm one, "I can't let her in and that's a fact."

"It's alright," Poppy murmured and the Doctor turned his head to look at her, his brow furrowed slightly. Poppy smiled at him, "You go," she encouraged and touched his arm briefly, "They need you."

"Excuse me," A woman's voice came from behind as someone else approached and Indra almost groaned in exasperation recognising who it belonged to immediately, "Are you the Doctor?" Harriet asked as they turned to look at her.

"Not now," Indra told her with exasperation, "We're busy!" he frowned at her whilst the Doctor turned his attention back to Poppy, "Can't you go home?"

The Doctor eyed his companion, hesitating in moving on, "Are you sure?"

"Course," Poppy nodded unable to help but be a little disappointed, but as she'd said earlier what did she really know about aliens. She had no business being in there, "They're experts, you should hear what they've got to say and they'd probably benefit from hearing what you've got to say."

"I s'pose so," the Doctor muttered, still eyeing her, taking in the mild disappointment on her face with a bit of a frown still, "Don't get into any trouble."

"Try my hardest not to," Poppy replied and the Doctor levelled a look at her and she gave him a small nod, before he turned and followed the other experts into the room the meeting was going to be held in.

"I just need a private word," Harriet continued to try, staring at Indra intently, pleadingly trying to convey how important it was.

"You haven't got clearance, now leave it!" Indra insisted, his voice growing terse with his exasperated impatience. He turned to Poppy who was still standing where the Doctor had left her. He took her arm drawing her gaze, "I'm going to have to leave you with security," he stated as he started leading her away.

"It's alright," Harriet called after them making Indra pause and the two looked back at her as she walked towards them, "I'll look after her," she offered and Indra eyed her, "Let me be of some use," she added and Indra nodded, releasing Poppy's arm and stepping away. He did have a million other things that he needed to do that were much more pressing then escorting the woman that had been brought in for whatever reason with the Doctor, to security.

"Walk with me," Harriet urged and Poppy obliged, eyeing the older woman as she fell into step with her, "Just keep walking…" she muttered to her as they passed the guards at the door, "That's right…. don't look around!" she urged Poppy as they stepped out into the entrance hall, "Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North," she introduced herself, flashing her ID card for the younger woman to see as proof.

"Poppy Tyler…" the ginger trailed and offered Harriet a small slightly sheepish smile, "Well, just Poppy Tyler really."

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor followed Joseph and Asquith into the briefing room, the two ahead of him making their way to the front, whilst the Doctor took a seat with the other experts, rapidly flicking through the prepared booklet that had been left on the chair, crossing his legs as he read the information provided in it swiftly.

 ***O*O*O***

"This friend of yours…" Harriet began as she came to a stop in a downstairs corridor, "He's an expert, is that right?" she asked and Poppy frowned slightly as she eyed the woman, "He knows about aliens?"

"Why?" Poppy questioned, still eyeing the woman, her gaze slightly wary as she took in the stress in the older woman's features, "What's happened?" she enquired only for Harriet to suddenly burst into tears and Poppy shifted closer, moving to comfort the woman as she stared at Harriet with concern, "It's ok," she soothed.

"No," Harriet shook her head as she started to calm herself, "It's horrible!"

Poppy eyed her, her brow furrowing with concern, "What's horrible?" she asked, "What's happened?"

Harriet took a breath, staring at the younger woman with determination, "It'd be easier if I showed you."

Poppy nodded and the two started walking. Poppy following the determined Harriet out of the downstairs corridor as the two moved along through the building quietly, neither wanting to draw attention to themselves.

 ***O*O*O***

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to have your attention please," General Asquith began calling the room to order, "As you can see from the summaries in front of you, the ship had one porcine occupant…"

"Now, the really interesting bit happened three days ago," the Doctor cut in not caring at all how rude he was being as impatience gnawed at him, unable to just sit still and listen any longer, not when it seemed like they were going to let the meeting drag on and go over the bits everyone already knew, "See," he got up and started pacing forward, the booklet provided still in hand, "Filed away under every other business. The North Sea, the satellite detected a signal, a little blip of radiation at one hundred fathoms like there was something down there…" he explained, not noticing the look Joseph and Asquith exchanged as he continued, focusing on working it, "You were just about to investigate and the next thing you know, this happens, spaceship, pigs, massive diversion, from what?"

 ***O*O*O***

"They turned the body into a suit!" Harriet explained as she showed Poppy the empty skin that was all that was left of Oliver, "A disguise for the thing inside!" the older woman burst into distraught tears again.

"It's ok!" Poppy soothed reassuringly, "I believe you," she told her as she started glancing around the Cabinet Room with a considering frown, "It's alien… Definitely alien. Got to be…" she murmured pensively, "Which means alien technology…" she scratched at her forehead as she continued to think, still frowning, alien technology meant she was flying blind and she didn't have a way to contact the Doctor whilst he was in the meeting.

She sighed out a breath, "Right…" she started moving away, heading for the desk, "If we could just find it…" she muttered, starting to rummage through it with a frown, looking for anything that look like it was alien tech, "Maybe, we could use it…" she swiftly finished with the desk and moved away, Harriet watching her as the younger woman headed for a cupboard, "Reveal the aliens hiding in human suits," Poppy pulled open the cupboard door only to reflexively jump back out of the way as a body that had been stuffed inside it fell out with a solid thump, "Oh, my God!" Poppy breathed as Harriet hurried over to her, her own eyes on the body as the two of them stared down at it wide eyed, "Is that…?"

"Harriet!" Indra snapped interrupting Poppy as he entered the room, glowering as he spotted the two of them, where they absolutely shouldn't be, "For God's sake! This has gone beyond a joke, you cannot just wander…" he trailed off his face paling as he spotted the body on the floor, "Oh, my God!" he stared at the body wide eyed, "That's the Prime Minister!" he said aghast, confirming Poppy's suspicions.

 ***O*O*O***

"If aliens fake an alien crash and an alien pilot," the Doctor continued to lecture the room, the Time Lord barely having stopped for a breath since he'd began, "What do they get?" he paused as realization slowly dawned on him, "Us," he murmured his eyes widening as it really hit him, "They get us. It's not a diversion, it's a trap."

 ***O*O*O***

"Ooh!" a smug feminine voice said from the doorway of the Cabinet room and the three that were standing staring down at the body of the Prime Minister turned to face the heavily set blond woman as she stared at them, "Has someone been naughty?" Margaret practically crooned as she shut the door behind her.

Poppy, Harriet and Indra glanced at each other, before their troubled eyes returned to Margaret as she stood in front of the door.

 ***O*O*O***

"It was bigger on the inside," Jackie continued to talk to Strickland as she moved into the kitchen, "I dunno, what do I know about spaceships?" she exclaimed.

"That's what worries me," Strickland replied, looking at Jackie through the hatch in the kitchen that was once again open, "You see, this man is classified as 'trouble'. Which means that anyone associated with him is trouble," he moved back into the living room, "And that's my job," he took off his hat so that he could reach the zip on his forehead, "Eliminating trouble," he continued as he reached up and started to undo the zip, and blue light started to spill from inside the human skin suit and fill the flat.

 ***O*O*O***

"That's impossible!" Indra stated as he stared at Margaret, "He left this afternoon. The Prime Minister left Downing Street, he was driven away!"

Margaret smiled mockingly at the three of them, "And who told you that? Hmm?" she walked towards them, stroking some of her short hair back off her forehead, "Me," she purred at them, slowly reaching for her hairline… enjoying the horrified and aghast looks she was receiving as she started to pull the zip that was being covered by her hair slowly across her head, savouring the moment as fear rose in the room.

 ***O*O*O***

"This is all about us," the Doctor continued to put it all together, "Alien experts, the only people with knowledge how to fight them gathered together in one room," one of them farted loudly and the Doctor raised his eyebrows at the man and levelled a pointed look at him, "Excuse me, do you mind not farting while I'm saving the world?"

"Would you rather silent but deadly?" the man whose tag labelled him as Joseph replied smugly before he and the General began sniggering.

 ***O*O*O***

Jackie paused halfway through making the tea she'd promised Strickland. The flickering blue light that was nose filling her flat catching her attention and she turned, starting tentatively for the doorway of her kitchen.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose frowned pausing as she came off the stairs to the level the Tyler flat was located on, her eyes locked on the blue light that was emanating from one of the flat windows a distance away, "Hold on…" she muttered to Mickey who was stood beside her, his own eyes on the flickering blue ominous light show, "What's that…?" she started forward a little cautiously, "Is that… it's coming from mum's flat!"

She darted forward, Mickey following her with growing alarm, the bright blue light fading into nothingness.

Whilst inside the flat framed in her kitchen doorway, Jackie stood wide eyed as she beheld the large green alien that was now occupying her living room.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor stared at them a sinking feeling settling in his stomach watching as the General removed his hat, before finding a zip on his forehead whilst Joseph laughed rather manically.

The Doctor continued to stare transfixed with awe and curiosity despite himself as he stared at the green alien as it wiggled out of the skin suit he'd been wearing.

"We are the Slitheen," the revealed alien declared to the room of astounded alien experts.

 ***O*O*O***

Inside the Cabinet room, the alien that had been wearing the body of Margaret did much the same to the horror of the three humans in the room.

The alien roared in delight at being free of the skin, before she easily grabbed Indra by the throat lifting him off the ground and pinning him up against a wall as she strangled him, enjoying the scent of terror coming from the humans as they stared frozen stiff in that moment, eyes wide with horror…

 ***O*O*O***

Jackie screamed backed away as the alien advanced on her menacingly, her back hitting against a counter, shrinking against it as the alien lifted a large clawed hand to strike at her.

Whilst outside as she hurried along the balcony, moving quickly past flat after flat, Rose paused briefly, her eyes widening in horror at the sound of her mother's terrified scream coming from inside the flat, "Oh my God!" she pressed forward, her steps picking up speed as she dashed across the balcony towards her home. Mickey still following after her, swallowing heavily as fear clawed at his insides.

 ***O*O*O***

"Thank you all for wearing your ID cards," the alien wearing the skin of Joseph told them as he slipped a control button from his pocket, "They'll help to identify the bodies," he pressed the button and cackled as they all lit up with electric blue light sending them convulsing.

Joseph watching them convulse with a savage pleasure in his dark eyes.

 ***O*O*O***

"Oh my God!" Poppy murmured horrified as the alien that had come out of the human skin it had been using strangled Indra, "It's killing him!" her mind racing with what she could possibly do, whilst Harriet winced, horrified as she watched helplessly.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor fell to his knees with a gasp of pain. His body beginning to shake with convulsions… the sound of the Slitheen's triumphant cruel laughter in his ears…


	5. Chapter 5 World War Three

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just Poppy my o/c.

 **A/N:** A big thank you's to everyone who followed/favourited and reviewed the previous chapter. And another big thank you goes to **Maethoriel Artemis** and **Saberbladeprime** for reading over this chapter for me and giving me feedback on it.

Also for those interested in knowing, I'm going to be working on the next chapter for the first in the Bonded Souls Saga next.

 **CHAPTER 5**

 **World War Three**

"Let him down!" Poppy shouted at the large green alien as it continued to squeeze the life from the young man she didn't know the name of, right in front of her eyes. Her eyes still wide with horror as her heart pounded in her chest, "He hasn't done anything to you!" Poppy's eyes narrowed into a glare as the alien's only response was to laugh, it's large claw tipped hand squeezing about the young man's neck harder.

The ginger darted her gaze around the room. Her eyes landing on the hefty paper weight on the desk that she'd rummaged through earlier in her search for alien tech. She took a few quick steps towards it, snatching it up and lobbing it at the aliens head with all her might. The alien's cruel tauntingly boisterous laughter cutting off as it collided solidly with the side of its head, "I said," Poppy stated clearly, her tone terse with anger, even as fear continued to claw at her making her heart pound frantically against her ribcage as the alien turned its head to look at her, "Let him down!"

"If you insist," the alien that had been inside Margaret's skin replied, it's voice so different from when it had been inside its human disguise.

A loud snap cut through the air in the next instant and Poppy's eyes widened in horror once more as Margaret released the young man, who fell limply to the ground. His body hitting with a thud, his head twisted at an odd angle.

"No!" she breathed horrified as Harriet let out a terrified gasping whimper. The pairs wide horrified eyes going from the young man's lifeless body to the alien as it shifted, turning towards them, laughing with savage delight once more.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor managed to reach up and with an effort and tore the ID card from around his neck, before he staggered, panting and sweating to his feet. The Slitheen's cackling laughter cutting off abruptly as they stared with stunned surprise. The Doctor's blue eyes hard as he regarded the aliens that where blinking at him in continued shock, "Deadly to humans, maybe," he rasped, before he lunged forward and pressed the ID card onto the collar around the aliens neck electrocuting not just the one, but the both of them.

The Doctor spun on his heel and made a dash for the door as the Slitheen howled in pain as the current of electricity that had killed all the humans in the briefing room coursed through them agonizingly.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy and Harriet backed away from the alien as it roared at them. A roar that turned into a howl of pain as electricity suddenly started coursing through it, making it convulse in pain. Poppy and Harriet paused in their retreat, staring with eyes now wide with shock.

 ***O*O*O***

Whilst the Slitheen in the Tyler kitchen, looming above the cowering with terror Jackie, also howled in agony as it convulsed as the current zapped through it.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy grasped Harriet's hand, "Time to go!" she exclaimed and pulled the older woman into a run, the two dashing for the door. Harriet whimpering softly with fear as Poppy yanked the door open and the two sprinted out into the corridor beyond.

 ***O*O*O***

"Mum!" Rose shouted as she burst into the flat at a run, screeching to a wide eyed halt at the sight of the large howling in agony green alien in the kitchen doorway.

"What the hell's that thing?!" Mickey exclaimed as he too stared at the large creature with wide eyes.

"I dunno!" Rose exclaimed, "But it's not hurting my mum!" she snatched up a chair and darted forward, slamming it over the alien's back, sending it stumbling out of the way as it continued to screech and convulse.

Mickey darted past her, grasping Jackie by the arms, pulling her up, whilst Rose dropped the chair to the floor with a clatter.

The older Tyler woman immediately running to her daughter, "Rose!" she exclaimed with trembling relief.

"Yeah!" Rose nodded a tad impatiently as the alien continued to howl in pain, "Run!" she shouted and grasped her mum by the hand and the two ran out of the flat.

Mickey moved to follow, only to pause, turning back as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapping a picture of the alien. He grinned, before he turned and swiftly darted after Rose and Jackie.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor ran into the reception area where security had congregated, "Oi!" he shouted drawing their attention, "You want aliens, you've got them. They're inside Downing Street," he clapped his hands together, "Come on!" he insisted as the security guards glanced at each other. The Doctor turned and hurried back the way he'd come. The security guards following close behind, their guns at the ready.

 ***O*O*O***

Still convulsing in agony Joseph managed to reach over to his Slitheen brother and pulled the Doctor's ID card off of the collar, making the electric current coursing through them stop. He panted with relief.

"Reinstate my disguise!" the Slitheen demanded urgently and Joseph bent picking up Asquith's discard skin, "Hurry up! Hurry!" the Slitheen urged as Joseph hastened to help his brother back into the skin, "Hurry!"

 ***O*O*O***

"No, wait!" Harriet cried, causing Poppy to screech to a sudden halt, the ginger turning to look at her a bit incredulously, "They're still in there! The emergency protocols! We need them!" she exclaimed before she turned and ran back down the corridor.

"Oh, bleedin' hell!" Poppy cursed lowly as she turned and followed Harriet back down the corridor towards the Cabinet Rooms where they'd left the homicidal alien.

The two skidded to a halt, their eyes widening fearfully, as the green alien, no longer inhibited by the electric current that had struck her came into view, moving towards them. The two wasted no time in swiftly changing directions again, Poppy grasping hold of Harriet's hand again to keep the woman with her as they ran across a hallway and darted through a doorway. The ginger shut the door behind them in the hopes of hindering the large alien that was pursuing them, before the two hurried on.

The sound of a loud crash behind them as the female alien smashed through the solid oak door with ease dashed those hopes, spurring the two to move faster. They dashed into a room and swiftly closed that door too for what little protection it could offer, before they hurried on making a beeline for the door at the opposite end.

 ***O*O*O***

In the conference room, the Slitheen that was wearing the skin of Joseph was making the finishing touches to the skin of General Asquith. The two disguised aliens froze as the Doctor and the security guards entered the room.

Joseph straightened up, turning to look at them sternly as he recovered his composure rather quickly, "Where've you been?"

The security guards spread out as they began to check the fallen bodies of the experts that had been called in, checking for any signs of life.

"I called for help," Joseph continued, weaving his lie, "I sounded the alarm. There was this… lightening! This kind er… um… electricity, and they all collapsed!"

"I think they're all dead," the Sergeant of the squad said.

"That's what I'm saying. He did it!" Joseph declared pointing an accusing finger at the Doctor, "That man there!"

"I think you'll find the Prime Minister is an alien in disguise," the Doctor replied calmly only to receive sceptic looks from all the others in the room. He looked at the security guard that was standing next to him, "That's never going to work, is it?"

"Nope," the security guard replied calmly.

The doctor nodded, "Fair enough," he sighed, before he turned and sprinted off before any of them could make a move to grab him.

The security team lost no time in giving chase however and soon the Doctor found himself surrounded despite his head start. He raised his hands with a grin.

The Slitheen wearing the General pushed himself to the front, his eyes gleaming in sadistic triumph as he stared at the Doctor, "Under the jurisdiction of the Emergency Protocols. I authorize you to execute this man!" he ordered and the security guards levelled their guns at the Doctor.

"Uh, well, now, yes," the Doctor stalled them, "You see, eh… the thing is… if I was you. If I was going to execute someone by backing them against the wall, between you and me, little word of advice…" his grin widened as the lift behind him dinged and the doors opened, "Don't stand them against the lift!" he crowed as he smoothly leapt back into the lift and closed the door with a quick buzz of his sonic screwdriver.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy and Harriet raced passed a lift, the two barely even sparing it a glance as they continued onwards down the corridor, the homicidal alien hot on their heels. Poppy practically slamming into a door as she tried to get it open, "Oh, bleedin' hell!" she breathed with alarm as she jerked at the handle, jiggling it, only to find it firmly locked. She was honestly starting to feel like she needed to start carrying her nice little pocket lockpick set with her. She didn't even have any bobby pins in her hair that she could try and use to pick the lock with either… but then, she doubted she'd have time to pick the lock anyway with the murderous alien closing in on them.

Behind the two, the lift doors dinged open and the Doctor stared at the angry Slitheen that paused at the sound, and turned roaring at the sight of him, it's arms raised, "Hello," he greeted calmly and then groaned internally as he spotted Poppy and another woman that he vaguely recognised as the one that had tried to speak to him earlier, sneak quietly down a corridor behind the roaring Slitheen and through an open doorway. Of course, she was in trouble! He smiled tightly at the Slitheen as he swiftly soniced the doors closed, distracting the alien long enough to allow the two to remain unnoticed. The lift dinging as it was sent into motion again.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy and Harriet ran into a room. Harriet closing the door behind them whilst Poppy immediately headed for the closest door, finding it locked she swiftly moved to the next, only to find it locked too. She smacked her hand against it in frantic agitation, "Right," she swallowed heavily and spun from the door to look at the equally terrified Harriet, "Hide!" she hissed urgently and swiftly started looking about the room for a place to hide, but despite how beautiful the room they were trapped in was. It wasn't one that anyone would ever choose to try and hide in! There wasn't any decent hiding spots available. She grimaced, glancing about frantically, Harriet doing the same before hiding herself behind a set of window screens. Poppy grimaced, hurrying about the room frantically and quietly as possible looking for an even semi-decent spot to hide herself away in, her heart pounding against her ribcage, knowing that the alien wouldn't be too far behind. She dropped to the ground behind a cabinet out of desperation, pressing her ear to the ground as she checked to see if she could fit under anything instead.

She swallowed heavily… no… no she couldn't. She leapt back up to her feet turning a frantic circle and then paused as she caught sight of a set of curtains. Oh, it was horrible. One of the most obvious hiding spots ever… but it was better than nothing. She darted towards it, hiding herself behind the right side of the thick heavy curtains.

 ***O*O*O***

The lift doors dinged open again and the Doctor peered out of it glancing swiftly to the left and then to the right. Seeing that that left was a dead end and that the right was completely devoid of people he stepped completely out of the lift and took off down the corridor.

 ***O*O*O***

"I repeat, the upper floors are under quarantine," Asquith told the security team as they stood gathered around the lift the Doctor had used to escape them. Waiting for it to come back, "You will stay where you are. You will disregard all previous instructions," he ordered, "You will take your orders directly from me."

The lift dinged and the doors slid open and Asquith and Joseph immediately turned and stepped inside.

"Mr. Green, sir," the Sergeant began, "I'm sorry but you've got to come with me," he insisted, "We should evacuate the entire building."

"Sergeant," Joseph eyed him a bit impatiently as he stepped back out of the lift, "Have you uh, read the Emergency Protocols?"

"No, sir," the Sergeant replied.

"Then don't question me," Joseph stepped back into the lift, re-joining Asquith, "Seal off number 10, secure the ground floor, and if the Doctor makes it downstairs, shoot on sight!" he demanded, before he pressed a button, and the lift doors closed.

The sergeant turned to face his team, "Well, you heard him!" he exclaimed, "Move out!" and the security team moved out, the sergeant following them.

Whilst inside the lift, Joseph grinned, "Let the sport begin," he farted loudly and grimaced, "I'm getting poisoned by the gas exchange," he groaned, "I need to be naked!"

"Rejoice in it!" Asquith exclaimed, "Your body is… magnificent," and Joseph reached up, grasping the zip on his forehead and started to pull it across. Asquith taking off his hat so that he could do that same as the lift moved.

 ***O*O*O***

"Oh such fun!" Margaret cooed as she entered the room Poppy and Harriet had hidden themselves in, "Little human children… where are you? Sweet little humeykins… come to me… let me kiss you better…"

Poppy gritted her teeth against the fear, the terror, that was clawing at her. Her hands clenching at her sides as she tried to keep her breathing even and quiet. Her heartbeat thudding loudly in her ears as it continued to pound against her ribcage.

"Kiss you with my big, green lips," Margaret continued to coo, letting out a soft hiss as she tasted the air…

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor ran swiftly down a flight of stairs, hearing the Sergeant barking his orders in the distance, as he hurried towards a doorway, trying to navigate his way back around to where he'd last seen Poppy as quickly as possible. He hastily jumped back from the doorway and into a small nook next to it however as he heard the lift ding. His gaze landing on two of the Slitheen as they walked by his hiding spot.

"We'll keep this floor quarantined as our last hunting ground before the final phase," one said to the other as they strolled past.

The Doctor waited until the two were out of sight, before he slipped out of the nook and hurried on through the door.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy swallowed heavily, trying hard to stifle the growing instinctual urge to shift as adrenaline coursed through her, making her want to fight or flee. She sucked in a deep steadying breath and let it out slowly, being sure to keep it quiet, only for her breath to catch quietly in her throat as she heard the sound of the door opening.

"My brothers," the female alien spoke and Poppy squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she heard the door click shut again, focusing on keeping still and quiet. On not accidentally shifting the thick heavy curtain she was hidden behind.

"Happy hunting?" she heard one of the brothers respond and Poppy's brow furrowed with her terror, still stifling the all so natural urge to run and blow what little cover she had.

"It's wonderful," the female replied with delight, "The more you prolong it," she enthused, "The more they stink."

"Sweat… and fear," the third said as he scented the air as they started to slowly walk about the room. Harriet's mouth dropped open in horror, whilst Poppy's eyes widened as the two realized that hiding was useless.

"I can smell an old girl…" another of the aliens stated as he scented the air, "Stale bird… brittle bones…"

"And a ripe youngster," the female alien cooed, "All hormones and adrenaline. Fresh enough to bend before she snaps," the female's voice getting closer to the curtain where Poppy was hiding and then the curtain was swept aside and Poppy screamed, pressing herself back against the window, mind racing as she braced herself to try and duck or lunge or something anything that'd get her out of striking range of the alien in front of her… space! She just needed some space to outmanoeuvre, to grab Harriet and flee…

"No!" the sound of Harriet's voice had the aliens turning and Poppy's gaze darted past the hulky form to see that the older woman had jumped out of her hiding place, her arms stretched out to the sides, "Take me first!" Poppy stared at her wide eyed, "Take me!"

"No!" Poppy exclaimed as the female alien released the curtain as she eyed Harriet, "Don't you dare!" the alien shifted, it's head turning to look at the tender young morsel that had been her preferred target.

The door suddenly crashed open, causing the aliens to turn to look at the intruder and the Doctor, brandishing a fire extinguisher that he'd picked up during his run through the building to find his companion, blasted the male Slitheen with it, "Out with me!" he shouted to Poppy, who immediately shifted grabbing the curtain she'd been hiding behind and pulled it down on top of the female alien, hampering her enough to allow the ginger to dart past her and over to the Doctor, coming to stand behind him as Harriet swiftly crossed the room at a run to come stand behind him herself.

The Doctor glanced at the woman he didn't know that had come to stand on the other side of him to Poppy, eyeing her, "Who the hell are you?"

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North," Harriet replied, for once not flashing her ID card as proof as she was too busy staring at the hostile aliens in the room, all three of them staring at them, the female having torn the heavy curtain from over her head.

"Nice to meet you," the Doctor said with a small nod.

"Likewise," Harriet responded.

"Right," Poppy nodded, eyeing the aliens, "Now that we're all introduced. Shouldn't we be…?" she gestured to the door the Doctor had burst through.

"Right," the Doctor nodded again, "Yes," he blasted the fire extinguisher at the Slitheen one more time, "Off we go!" he called grabbing Poppy's hand as he turned and dashed from the room, Harriet following the two out into the corridor, "We need to get to the Cabinet Rooms!" the Doctor informed them as he ditched the now empty extinguisher.

"The emergency protocols are in there! They give instructions on aliens!" Harriet exclaimed relieved that they'd be able to grab them.

"Harriet Jones, I like you," the Doctor decided.

"And I like you too," the woman reciprocated and the three ran on… the Slitheen chasing them persistently.

The Doctor swiftly bypassed a locked door with his sonic screwdriver, throwing the door open and rushing through. The Slitheen still hot on their heels as they pursued the three back through many doors and corridors, all the way back to the Cabinet Rooms. With no time to close the door behind them the Doctor quickly dropped Poppy's hand and snatched up a glass decanter of brandy from a side table, brandishing it at the aliens as they slowly stalked towards them. He held his sonic screwdriver against it and stared the three down with confidence, "One more move and my sonic device with triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof! We all go up. So back off!" he warned them.

The three paused in their advance and took a single uncertain step back, blinking their round black eyes at them as they waited.

"Right then. Question time," the Doctor continued eyeing the aliens in front of them, "Who exactly are the Slitheen?"

"They're aliens," Harriet stated.

"Yes. I got that, thanks," the Doctor replied with sarcasm.

"Who are you, if not human?" the Slitheen who'd been wearing Joseph asked.

Harriet started a little, "Who's not human?"

"He not," Poppy answered.

"He's not human?" Harriet questioned with surprise.

Poppy glanced at her, "Nope."

"Can I have a bit of hush?" the Doctor grumbled at them.

"Sorry," Harriet apologized.

The Doctor turned his full attention back to the Slitheen, "So, what's the plan?"

"But," Harriet began unable to help herself as she glanced quizzically at Poppy again, "He's got a Northern accent."

"Lots of planets have a North," Poppy replied, before continuing with scepticism, "And _apparently_ they all sound exactly the same," the ginger echoing the conversation that had taken place when Rose had voiced that exact question.

"I said hush," the Doctor shushed them again, "Come on," he waved the brandy threateningly at the Slitheen, "You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of the government, what for? Invasion?"

"Why would we invade this God forsaken rock?" Joseph scoffed derisively.

The Doctor frowned at them, "Then something's brought the Slitheen race here, what is it?"

"The Slitheen race?" Asquith questioned.

"Slitheen is not our species. Slitheen is our surname. Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer Day Slitheen at your service," Joseph introduced himself smugly.

"So, your family," the Doctor said as his mind raced with the possibilities, trying to fit all the pieces together.

"It's a family business," the newly introduced Jocrassa stated.

"Then you're out to make a profit," the Doctor nodded, before eyeing them again, "How can you do that on a 'God forsaken rock'?"

"Ahhh… excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability…?" Asquith asked suspiciously.

"Is that what I said?" the Doctor queried evasively.

"You're making it up!" Asquith growled in annoyance at having been fooled.

The Doctor shrugged and lowered his arms, "Ah, well! Nice try. Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it," he offered her the brandy.

Harriet glanced at it, "Pass it to the left first," she stated instinctively, her eyes darting nervously back to the aliens standing just outside the doorway, her arms tightening about the case containing the emergency protocols that she'd picked up immediately upon entering the room, determined not to leave them behind again.

"Sorry," the Doctor muttered and handed it to Poppy instead.

"Thanks," Poppy murmured as she took it, glancing down briefly at the glass decanter she'd been given, before her gaze flicked back up to the aliens.

"Now we can end this hunt… with a slaughter," Asquith declared with an anticipatory flex of his claws.

Poppy glanced at the Time Lord as he folded his arms, staring calmly at the three Slitheen, that started to shuffle forward as she spoke, "Shouldn't we, you know, run?"

"Fascinating history, Downing Street," the Doctor replied glancing at her briefly as he continued on with his explanation, "Two thousand years ago, this was marsh land. 1730, it was occupied by a Mr. Chicken. He was a nice man. 1796, this was the cabinet room – if the cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain," the Doctor lifted a small panel hidden near the door and pressed the button that had been concealed behind it, "End of the lesson," he stated as every possible entry point into the room was barricaded by thick metal shutters.

The Doctor grinned as he turned to face Poppy and Harriet, "Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining every single wall. They'll never get in."

"Ok," Poppy nodded, glancing about at the thick metal shutters barricading the Slitheen out and them in, the glass decanter of brandy still in her hands, "And," she turned her gaze back to the Doctor, eyeing him with a slightly furrowed brow as she tried to work it out for herself, "We get out how?"

There was a beat of silence as the Doctor tugged at his ear uncomfortably as he eyed Poppy right back, "Ah…"

Poppy blinked at him and then sighed out a low resigned breath, "Figures," she muttered with a low sigh, before nodding once again, "Alright, so," her eyes met his with determination, "What do we do?"

 ***O*O*O***

"He's safely contained," the Slitheen that had been disguised as Joseph turned to his brother and sister, "Now, cut off communications inside that room, then summon the family, it's time we finished with this insane planet for good!" he decreed and the three of them strode away from the Cabinet Rooms.

 ***O*O*O***

A side door to the block of flats opened and Rose, Jackie and Mickey peered out of it, eyeing the policemen and armed soldiers that were still surrounding the building. They cautiously stepped out into the yard and stealthily ran across the yard to a thick pillar. The three using it to hide from the policemen and armed soldiers for a moment before continuing on. Rose gripping her mum's hand tightly in her own as they continued across the yard.

 ***O*O*O***

"And there's still no word from inside Downing Street, though we are getting even more new arrivals," the reporter stationed outside of 10 Downing Street announced. He glanced around as another car pulled up and a heavyset man got out of the car, "That's Group Captain Tennant James of the RAF, though why he's been summoned, I've no idea. And that's ah…" he continued as another heavyset man got out of a car, "Ewan McAllister. Deputy Secretary for the Scottish Parliament. And this is most unusual!" he exclaimed with increasing bewilderment as a heavyset woman got out of another car and started for the building, "I'm told that is Sylvia Dilliane, chairman of the North Sea Boating Club," the reporter turned back to the camera once more, frowning rather puzzled, "Quite what connects these people, we have no idea."

 ***O*O*O***

Margaret, back in her human disguise, came down the stairs and stepped into the entrance hall, "Group Captain," she greeted him with a bright smile, "Delighted you could make it. We're meeting upstairs," she informed him and Tennant James let out a loud fart, "That's the spirit," Margaret chortled, "Off you go," he moved on and Ewan McAllister came to stand in front of her, she grasped his hand giving it a shake, "Good to see you," she beamed happily and gave a pleasant nod of greeting to Sylvia, "Come on through!"

"Ah, Sergeant," Asquith, also back in his human disguise, stopped the man as he walked past, the Sergeant turning to look at him, "Now that the Doctor's been neutralised, the upper levels are out of bounds to everyone," he ordered.

"Then who are they?" the Sergeant asked nodding to the new arrivals, that were making their way up the stairs to the upper levels.

"Need to know, Sergeant," Asquith replied firmly, "Need to know. I want you to liaise with Communications," he continued, "The acting Prime Minister will be making a public address. He will speak to the nations of the world."

The Sergeant gave a nod and Asquith walked off, leaving the Sergeant to look after his retreating form with bewilderment.

 ***O*O*O***

"There you are. If you'd just like to go through and get changed," Margaret ushered Sylvia into the toilets just off the side of the cloak room that were lit with a blue light, whilst she picked up a coat hanger from a rack. Sylvia stepped inside the toilets passing an emerging Slitheen that was carrying the skin of Group Captain James. Margaret took the skin off him with a beaming smile, "Now, if you'd like to head down to the end of the corridor, it's first on the left."

"Thank you," the Slitheen replied and Margaret went about hanging up the skin suit off the hanger as the Slitheen moved on towards the doorway to the corridor as instructed.

 ***O*O*O***

"Got anything stronger?" Jackie asked as she stood with Mickey and Rose in the formers kitchen, eyeing the kettle Mickey was holding.

"No chance," Mickey replied, "I've seen you when you've had a few," he finished filling up the kettle and turned off the tap, "This ain't time for a conga."

"He's got a point mum," Rose stated and Jackie sighed crossing her arms over her chest, leaning back against one of the counters beside her daughter for a moment longer before she moved to take a seat.

"We've got to tell someone," she stated after a moment.

"We can't!" Rose immediately exclaimed straightening up from her lean, earning an unhappy scowl from her mum.

"Who do we trust?" Mickey asked, drawing Jackie's attention before she could respond to her daughters immediate vehement denial, "For all we know, they've all got big bog monsters inside of them. I mean, this is what he does, Jacks, that Doctor bloke. Everywhere he goes," Mickey waved a couple of mugs in their direction in his enthusiasm and Rose started to scowl at him as her mum stared at him with widening eyes, "Death and destruct…"

"Stop it!" Rose hissed, her eyes narrowed on Mickey as she snatched the mugs from him, "Just stop it, Mickey!" she shot him a glower as she brushed him out of the way to take over making the tea for them, snatching down another mug for herself, slamming the cupboard door shut and plonking the mug down, "He's not like you make him out to be," she insisted as she checked the kettle making sure Mickey had put it on.

Mickey let out a low scoffing sound, his arms crossing over his chest as he eyed his girlfriend's unhappy tense posture.

Jackie watched her daughters back for a moment, before she glanced at Mickey, uncertain, "Has he got a great big green thing inside him, then?"

Rose let out a slightly terse huffing laugh, "No, course not…" she trailed hesitating, "Don't think so…" she mumbled.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Mickey said as he opened the fridge and got out a bottle of milk for the tea, holding it out to Rose.

"He hasn't," Rose insisted, taking the bottle from him, "He totally definitely doesn't have a big green thing inside him."

"Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better," Mickey replied and patted her on the shoulder with mock condescension. Rose mock scowled at him and batted his hand away before turning back to the mugs and plonking the milk down on the counter, "But like it or not," Mickey continued as Rose started rifling about looking for the tea, "He's the only person who knows how to fight these things."

"I thought I was gonna die," Jackie exclaimed before she burst into tears and Rose immediately turned from the tea mugs and boiling kettle to go to her mum, hugging her tightly.

"It's alright. You're alright, mum," Rose tried to sooth, rubbing her mum's upper back as she continued to hug her.

"Come on, yeah?" Mickey murmured awkwardly patting Jackie's shoulder, "If anyone gonna cry, it's gonna be me. Now, you're safe in my flat, Jacks. No one's gonna look for you here, especially since you hate me so much."

Jackie took a shuddering breath and blinked, "You helped save my life," she blinked again, "God, that's embarrassing."

"You're telling me," Mickey retorted lightly and the two chuckled whilst Rose rolled her eyes good naturedly and stood, moving back over to the counter as the kettle finished boiling.

"He wanted me dead," Jackie swallowed heavily, "And he's still out there…" she stood anxiously, "That policeman… that thing…"

"Like Mickey said," Rose murmured as she started pouring the boiled water into the mugs she'd prepped, "No one's gonna come looking for you here," she turned one of the mugs in hand and held it out to her mum, "We're gonna be alright."

Jackie accepted the mug and sighed as Rose turned back to the counter picking up her own as Mickey picked up his, "What about Poppy?" she asked and the two looked at her, "She's with him. The Doctor."

Rose looked down at the contents of her mug with a worried frown, her fingers tightening about it as she bit her lower lip.

Mickey glanced from the concerned Jackie to Rose and back again, "Grandma can look after herself," he offered after a moment, suddenly regretting what he'd been saying earlier about the Doctor and death.

"Course she can," Rose nodded, "And she's got the Doctor with her. He won't let anything happen to her."

Jackie glanced away from them, a dubious frown furrowing her brow as she gripped her tea mug tightly, hands shaking finely with her anxiety, fear and lingering adrenaline. She didn't know what she'd do if something happened to either or both of her babies again. This past year without them had been the worst of her life.

 ***O*O*O***

The Slitheen wearing Strickland's skin, sniffed at the night air, scenting it, "Right," he turned to another policeman that had come up behind him, "You head off. You're in full control, I have got one or two things that still need doing. I haven't quite finished with Mrs. Tyler yet…" the other police officers nodded their understanding and got into the car.

 ***O*O*O***

"Soon?" the Slitheen that had been wearing McAllister's skin suit asked the Slitheen disguised as Joseph as he approached.

"Oh yes," Joseph agreed, "Soon," and stepped through the doorway as the undisguised Slitheen clumped away. Joseph approached Margaret who was adjusting the McAllister skin suit on its hanger, "Is that all of us?"

"All the family except Sip Fel Fotch," Margaret replied cheerily, glancing at him, "He's found a hunt of his own."

"Ah!" Joseph nodded in understanding and the two shared a smile, before continued on his way, leaving Margaret to continue adjusting the hanging skin suits.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor strode back into the Cabinet Room after having tucked the body of the Secretary away along with the deceased Prime Minister into a cupboard. A morose Harriet trailing him solemnly, regretting that she'd never taken the time to simply ask the man's name. She simply hadn't thought to ask.

"Right, what have we got?" he asked and Poppy turned from her search of the Cabinet Rooms to look at him as he continued, "Any terminals, anything?"

"Nope," Poppy sighed, pushing the draw of the side table she'd been rifling through shut, "No terminals."

"Not even a little one?" the Doctor questioned a little distracted as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver from the inside pocket of his leather jacket.

"Not even," Poppy repeated with a low huff, her arms crossing as she eyed him, "Though if you want a stapler, I found several."

"No, don't need a stapler," the Doctor grumbled as he approached a wall, his sonic whirring as he pointed it at the wall and flicked it on, scanning over it.

"Yeah, didn't think so," Poppy muttered, uncrossing her arms and scratched at her brow, "You know what I can't figure out?"

"Lots of things," the Doctor replied casually, glancing at her briefly as he shifted to another wall scanning his sonic over it too.

Poppy mock glowered at him for his light jab, "Why didn't they use the Prime Minister as a disguise after they killed him?"

"He's too slim," the Doctor explained as he continued to scan the walls, "They're big old beasts. They need to fit inside big humans."

"Oh," Poppy nodded, before she frowned again, "But hold on. The Slitheen have got to be about, I dunno, eight feet or so," she estimated, "How in the world do they fit inside?" she asked as she eyed the Doctor's back quizzically.

"That's the device around their necks," the Doctor stated in explanation, still scanning the walls with his sonic, "Compression field, literally shrinks them down a bit. That's why there's all that gas, it's a big exchange."

"Compression field, huh," Poppy mused thoughtfully and the Doctor nodded, glancing at her briefly as he continued to scan the walls, "I can see how the Slitheen would find them handy," she scratched at her forehead as she pondered the compression field devices, "Though, the sheer amount of the exchange seems rather inconvenient."

"Fingers twitching?" the Doctor commented more than asked with a bit of a smirk as he glanced back at her again.

"A bit," Poppy admitted with a slight shrug.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry," Harriet eyed the two with confusion from where she was sat down in front of the open case containing the emergency protocols. The two turning their heads to look at her, "What does 'twitching fingers' have to do with anything?"

"Oh," Poppy blinked at her, "Uh, nothing, really," she glanced briefly at the Doctor to see him back at scanning the walls with his sonic. What was he doing that for anyway? She turned back to Harriet the older woman frowning at her slightly, "It's just sort of an…" she trailed briefly scratching at her forehead again as she searched for a term, "An inside joke, I guess."

"People are dead," Harriet stated reprovingly, her gaze flicking from Poppy to the Doctor, "It hardly seems the time for making jokes of any kind!"

"No, course not…" Poppy murmured lowly, "Sorry…" she hadn't actually meant that they were joking around.

"Harriet Jones. I've heard that name before," the Doctor mused pensively and Poppy and Harriet turned their heads to look at him brows quirked slightly at him, "Harriet Jones," he repeated lowering his sonic screwdriver and turning to look at Harriet quizzically, "You're not famous for anything, are you?"

"Huh!" Harriet stared at him surprised, "Hardly."

"Rings a bell, Harriet Jones…" the Doctor muttered to himself. There was something about that name that was familiar. He just couldn't place it… he frowned in thought as he tried to place why the name sounded familiar to him.

"Lifelong back bencher I'm afraid, and a fat lot of use I'm being now," Harriet sighed as she looked down at the confidential papers she'd pulled out of the case, "The protocols are redundant, they list the people who can help and they're all dead downstairs."

Poppy frowned and shifted around the table towards her, "That can't be all that's in there though, right? Isn't there defence codes or something. I dunno, maybe codes to a nuclear bomb we could launch at 'em?"

Harriet stared at her rather shocked, "You're a very violent young woman…"

"Yep, that's me," Poppy replied dryly as she nodded, "The violent twin. But, only when I need to be for self-defensive purposes," she tacked on, rambling a little as Harriet continued to stare at her whilst the Doctor shook his head with a slightly amused smirk as he turned and started to scan the mantelpiece he was standing in front of, "And," she frowned slightly as she continued in all seriousness, "I wasn't saying that we _had_ to launch a nuclear bomb at 'em. I'm just asking if we could?"

"Well, there's nothing like that in here," Harriet replied and Poppy leaned her hip against the table, listening intently as Harriet continued, "Nuclear strikes do need a release code, yes, but it's kept secret by the United Nations."

The Doctor paused in his scanning of the mantelpiece, and turned to look at her again, "Say that again," he demanded.

"What about the codes?" Harriet asked, blinking at him wondering what she'd said.

"Anything. All of it," the Doctor insisted.

"Um, well…" Harriet trailed a little flummoxed but carried on, saying what came to mind on the subject, "The British Isles can't gain atomic weapons without special resolution from the UN," she rattled off.

"Never stopped them before," Poppy commented with a slight frown, her arms folding over her chest.

"Exactly, given our past record, and I voted against that, thank you very much," Harriet informed them before continuing on with her explanation, "The codes have been taken out of the governments hands and given to the UN," Harriet paused and looked at the Doctor who appeared to be deep in thought, "Is it important?"

"Everything's important," the Doctor replied.

"If only we knew what the Slitheen wanted," Harriet sighed and then blinked, "Listen to me, I'm saying 'Slitheen' as if it's normal," she muttered, really she'd never thought that the day would end up being so strange when she'd gone about her plans for the day.

"Knowing what they want would be handy," Poppy agreed unfolding her arms so that she could brush some of hair out of her face and back behind her ear. The ginger with a white streak at the front regretting not putting her hair up into a ponytail at the very least, but her hair hadn't felt all that important today.

"Well, it's just one family so it's not an invasion," the Doctor stated, "They don't want Slitheen world… they're out to make money, which means they want to use something, something here on Earth… some kind of asset."

"Like what? Gold? Oil? Water?" Harriet suggested in quick succession.

The Doctor blinked, eyeing her, "You're very good at this," he commented.

"Thanks," Harriet replied, rather pleased.

"Harriet Jones, why do I know that name?" the Doctor muttered to himself, stilling thinking… and coming up frustratingly empty.

"Dunno, maybe you read it somewhere," Poppy suggested with a shrug.

"Maybe…" the Doctor muttered, with a frustrated frown.

Poppy's phone chimed in her pocket, "Oh! That's me," she exclaimed, surprised by the sudden sound.

"But we're sealed off," Harriet exclaimed with surprise and confusion as Poppy pulled her mobile out of her pocket, "How did you get a signal?"

"He zapped it with some jiggery pokery," Poppy replied with a gesture to the Doctor, "Made it a super phone."

"Then we can phone for help!" Harriet cried as she turned her attention back to the Doctor as Poppy turned her attention to her phone, "You must have contacts."

"Dead downstairs, yeah," the Doctor replied and Harriet's face fell with disappointment whilst Poppy entered into the text she'd received.

"It's Mickey," she stated.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Oh, tell that stupid friend of yours we're busy," he grumbled with annoyance.

"Mickey is a lot of things," Poppy replied annoyance colouring her tone at the Doctor's insult to her best friends intelligence. She turned her phone around so that the Doctor and Harriet could see the screen, "But stupid isn't one of them," she stated firmly as the two looked at the picture of the Slitheen in the kitchen of her home that Mickey had sent to her.

 ***O*O*O***

Mickey walked cautiously into his bedroom, checking around the door first just in case, his phone pressed to his ear as Jackie and Rose followed him in.

"No, no, no, no, no," Mickey denied adamantly, "Not just alien, but like, proper alien. All stinking, and wet, and disgusting," he described, "And more to the point, it wanted to kill us!" he exclaimed to Poppy.

"I could've died!" Jackie called loud enough to be heard on the other end of the line and Mickey gestured at her with a vehement motion.

"She's fine though!" Rose called just as loudly, and Mickey gestured at her too something that she ignore as she continued, "We all are."

 ***O*O*O***

"Good," Poppy breathed having heard both her mum and twin on the other end, pacing back and forth a little, "That's good… oi!" she exclaimed startled as her phone was suddenly snatched from her hand.

"Is that Ricky?" the Doctor spoke into the phone, ignoring the ginger's glare at his rudeness, "Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer."

"It's Mickey," Poppy corrected at the same time Mickey did and the Doctor rolled his eyes, gesturing at Poppy to be quiet.

"And why should I?" Mickey asked, glaring irritably at the wall of his bedroom wishing it was the Doctor. Whilst Jackie and Rose stared at him slightly bemused by the sudden change in his demeanour.

"Because, Mickey the Idiot, you're the one on the phone," the Doctor retorted with impatience, "And I might just choke before I finish this sentence," he admitted with a grimace and Poppy went from scowling at him to quirking her brows in question, her brown eyes still irritated, "But eh," he grimaced again, "I need you," he stated his expression rather pained as he forced the words out of his mouth.

"I couldn't think of a worse way to ask someone for help," Poppy muttered, eyeing the Doctor with irritation, "Would a 'please' have killed you?"

"Quite possibly," the Doctor retorted.

Poppy rolled her eyes, and frowned at him, her arms crossing over her chest, "Smack you if you're not careful," she warned him.

"You wouldn't," the Doctor denied, meeting her gaze steadily, the ginger's phone still pressed to his ear.

"What?" Mickey asked, frowning quizzically at his wall.

"Not you, you idiot," the Doctor retorted with a roll of his eyes and Mickey's frown turned into a scowl.

"That's my best friend you're insulting," Poppy stared at him flatly, "Try me," and the Doctor grimaced slightly as he eyed the ginger a little cautiously.

A couple of moments later, Mickey was set up in front of his computer and the Doctor was plugging the mobile into conference call speaker, "It says password."

"Say again," the Doctor said, having missed half of the sentence as he moved Poppy's phone around.

"It's asking for the password," Mickey responded.

"Buffalo," the Doctor stated, "Two F's and, one L."

"So, what's that website?" Jackie asked as she set two mugs of tea down on the computer desk Mickey was sitting in front of. Rose already holding one of her own as she sat on the end of Mickey's bed.

"All the secret information known to mankind," Mickey responded, glancing back at Jackie, his phone at his ear, "See they've known about aliens for years," he explained, "They just kept us in the dark."

"Mickey, you were born in the dark," the Doctor quipped.

"I'm not joking about smacking you, you know," Poppy informed him coolly, "This," she pointed to her face as the Doctor turned his head to glance at her, "Is my 'resisting the urge to smack you upside the head' face."

"Thanks Grandma," Mickey's voice came over the line.

"You're welcome Dweeb," Poppy responded cheerily and the Doctor rolled his eyes, his arms crossing over his chest as he frowned at the phone.

"Password again," Mickey stated his eyes on the computer screen.

"Just repeat it every time," the Doctor informed him and Mickey handed his phone to Jackie as he moved his hands across the keyboard, fingers tapping over the keys.

Poppy's brows shot up on her forehead with incredulity, "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously," the Doctor replied, drumming his fingers over the back of the chair he was standing in front of, "Big Ben, why did the Slitheen hit Big Ben?" he thought out loud.

"You said to gather experts to kill them," Harriet recalled.

"That lot would have gathered for a weather balloon, you don't need to crash land in the middle of London," the Doctor stated dismissively.

"The Slitheen were hiding, but then they decided to put on a show, putting the entire planet on red alert," Poppy frowned, "We still don't know why they'd do that?"

"Oh, listen to her," Jackie bemoaned.

"Just trying to be helpful, mum," Poppy replied, eyeing her phone a little hurt.

From the end of the bed Rose frowned growing frustrated with not knowing what was being said, "Listen to what?"

"Your sister," Jackie replied.

"Put it on speaker," Rose demanded, getting to her feet.

"Well, I've got a question if you don't mind," Jackie continued on like she hadn't heard Rose but pressed the speaker button on Mickey's mobile and lowered it from her ear as she continued speaking, "Because since that man walked into our lives, I have been attacked in the streets. I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my daughters disappear off the face of the Earth."

"We told you what happened," Rose murmured, eyeing her mum with concern and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'm talking to him," Jackie said determinedly, shrugging off Rose's hand as she continued speaking into the phone, "Cos I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it. And maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me," she insisted, "Just answer me this – are my daughters safe?"

"I'm fine, mum," Poppy murmured, her hands tightly gripping the back of the chair she was standing in front of as she stared at her phone.

"We both are," Rose assured her.

"Are they safe?" Jackie persisted with concern for her children, glancing at Rose who was in Mickey's bedroom with her, staring at her, her lower lip caught between her teeth, "Will they always be safe? Can you promise me that?"

The Doctor tore his gaze from the mobile to glance up at Poppy, who stared back at him silently… he couldn't promise that. He wished that he could, but… he'd be lying. He couldn't insure their safety. He'd always try his best to insure that his companions remained safe but as much as he would like there to be. There was no guarantee…

"Well," Jackie broke the stretching silence impatiently whilst Rose looked down at the carpet beneath her feet, "What's the answer?"

The Doctor swallowed heavily, but before he was forced to try and find an answer for the concerned mother of two. Mickey spoke and the Time Lord had never been more relieved at the sound of the boys voice, "We're in."

"Right then," the Doctor stated rushing around the table rather relieved that he had an excuse to avoid not giving an answer, "On the left, there's a tab, an icon, little concentric circles. Click on that," he instructed.

Almost immediately a strange sound came through the speaker and Poppy frowned quizzically, her head tilting slightly as she listened.

"What is it?" Mickey asked.

"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal, now hush," the Doctor insisted, "Let me work out what it's saying," he muttered as he listened intently to the sound of the signal.

"He'll have to answer me one day," Jackie said morosely only to be hushed by Mickey and she glowered at him.

"It's some sort of message," the Time Lord muttered.

"What's it say?" Rose asked, leaning forward over Mickey's chair to peer at the screen of his computer.

"Don't know," the Doctor shook his head.

"What do you know about it?" Poppy asked, leaning forward against her own chair across from him, staring at the speaker intently.

"Just that it's on loop," the Doctor replied, still frowning as he continued to try and work out what it was saying, "Keeps repeating."

The sound of the doorbell ringing came through the speaker and the Doctor let out a frustrated sound.

"Hush!" he scolded with irritation at having his train of thought broken.

"That's not me," Mickey denied, before he turned his head to look at Jackie, "Go and see who that is."

"It's three o'clock in the morning," Jackie protested.

"Well," Mickey rolled his eyes and continued gesturing towards the front door, "Go and tell them that."

Poppy eyed the speaker quizzically, "Who'd call on you at three in the morning, Mickey?" she asked as Jackie reluctantly made her way out of the bedroom, headed towards the front door.

"That's what I'd like to know," Rose muttered eyeing her boyfriend's back with an arched brow.

"I dunno," Mickey huffed, glancing back at Rose as he continued, "It's not like it's a common occurrence."

Rose smiled at him and he returned it, before their eyes returned to the speaker as the Doctor's voice came through the phone again.

"It's beaming out into space, who's it for?" the Doctor muttered ignoring the conversations going on around him as he continued to listen to the signal.

Poppy and Harriet exchanged a concerned look.

"It's him! It's the Slickeen!" Jackie's sudden shout drew their full attention back to the phone, Poppy visibly tensing.

"They've found us!" Mickey cried, taking his phone off speaker and bringing it up to his ear again as the three of them edged out of the room peering around the door to peek into the entry way of his flat.

"Mickey, I need that signal," the Doctor said urgently… he almost had it. He was sure. He just needed a little longer.

"Forget the signal!" Poppy refuted, "Just get out!" she exclaimed, her alarmed gaze locked on the speaker and her hands clutching the back of the chair tightly feeling completely helpless, to help her family, "Get out of the flat! Get out!"

"We can't it's by the front door," Mickey told them, a cricket bat clenched in his hands as he sweated nervously.

"We're trapped!" Rose swallowed heavily as a blue light started shining beneath the cracks in the front door.

"Oh, my God," Mickey breathed with horror, "It's unmasking. It's gonna kill us," he cried with panicked alarm.

"There's got to be some way of stopping them!" Harriet exclaimed, "You're supposed to be the expert, think of something!" she demanded urgently.

The Doctor shot her an irritated look, yelling at him wasn't going to help! "I'm trying!"

"I'll take it on," Mickey's voice came through the speaker and Poppy felt her heart freeze in her chest as she stared anxiously at the speaker, "You two just run. Don't look back. Just run," he insisted.

"Mickey, don't be stupid!" Poppy cried with concern and fear for her best friend and family, as on the other end of the line Rose and Jackie stared at him with wide eyes.

"It's my flat, grandma," Mickey retorted as he squared himself in front of the front door, cricket bat in hand, "I'll be stupid if I wanna!"

The sound of the front door being splintered came through the speaker and Poppy swallowed heavily her gaze going to the Doctor, "That's my family."

"Right! If we're going to find out their weakness, we need to find out where they're from – which planet," he stated urgently, "So, judging by their face and shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within traveling distance. What else do we know about them? Information!" he prompted them.

"They're green," Poppy said the first thing that popped into her head and then grimaced at how obvious it was even as the Doctor nodded.

"Yep," he agreed, "Narrows it down."

"They've got a really good sense of smell," Poppy offered next, frowning in concentration, desperate to help.

"Narrows it down," the Doctor nodded again, scratching a couple more planets off the list of thousands.

"They could smell adrenaline and fear," Poppy added to her previous statement, her heart pounding in her chest as she glanced at the speaker, the silence from her family unnerving as it was reassuring in the fact that nothing new had happened in Mickey's flat… the alien still not inside.

"Narrows it down."

"The compression technology," Harriet chimed in.

"Narrows it down."

"You said the spaceship in the Thames had a slipstream engine?" Poppy exclaimed.

"Narrows it down."

In the flat the Slitheen outside the front door managed to punch a hole through it and Mickey swallowed heavily, Rose and Jackie still stood behind him, neither having moved an inch, "It's getting in!"

Poppy swallowed heavily again, "Oh!" she exclaimed as she recalled something else, "They hunt like it's a ritual!"

"Narrows it down," the Doctor agreed again, but there was still too many planets left, they need to narrow it down further.

"Wait a minute!" Harriet exclaimed and Poppy's gaze shot to her, "Did you notice, when they fart, if you'll pardon the word, it doesn't smell like a fart; if you'll pardon the word, it's something else, what is it, it's more like uh… um…" Harriet stumbled over her words as she struggled to place the smell with a word.

"Oh!" Poppy's eyes widened, "Bad breath!" she jumped in, "Its smells something like bad breath!" she exclaimed.

"That's it!" Harriet agreed.

"Calcium decay! Now that narrows it down!" the Doctor enthused.

"We're getting there you three!" Poppy called into the phone, just hold on just a little longer she mentally urged them.

"Too late!" Mickey exclaimed as more of the hole in the door got bigger, the Slitheen still having trouble getting through, but it was disquietingly closer to bursting into his flat.

"Calcium phosphate, organic calcium, living calcium," the Doctor muttered as his mind raced, "Creatures made out of living calcium, what else, what else, hyphenated sodium, yes! That narrows it down to one planet! Raxacoricofallaapatorious!" he declared triumphantly.

"Oh yeah, great. We could write 'em a letter," was Mickey's sarcastic response just before the Slitheen finally kicked half the door down to finally fit through it enough to step into the flat, starting towards the three.

"Get into the kitchen!" the Doctor ordered and was slightly gratified as no arguments came from them and the sound of them moving swiftly came through the speaker, followed by the slamming of a door and things shifting as Jackie, Rose and Mickey tried to barricade the kitchen door behind them.

"My God, it's going to rip us apart!" Jackie whimpered.

"Calcium, recombined with compression field, ascetic acid. Vinegar!" he shouted as it finally came to him.

"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet exclaimed.

"Just like Hannibal," the Doctor agreed, before talking to the phone again, "Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"

"How should I know?" Mickey shot back to scared and distracted by the alien that was trying to break into the kitchen to think clearly.

"It's your kitchen!" the Doctor retorted incredulously.

"Cupboard by the sink, middle shelf!" Poppy immediately rattled off, staring at the speaker intently, her hands still tight about the back of the chair.

"Give it!" Rose demanded and snatched the phone from Mickey, "What?" she spoke urgently into the phone, "What are we doing?"

"You need anything with vinegar!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Right, mum," Rose turned, "We want cupboard by the sink, middle shelf," the younger blond already moving for the cupboard she was talking about, "We're searching for vinegar!" she exclaimed, throwing the phone on speaker and setting it on the counter as Jackie grabbed a large jug as Rose scoured the cupboard.

"Gherkins…" Jackie exclaimed as Rose handed a jar to her and she immediately opened it and poured it in, "Yeah, pickled onions," she exclaimed as Rose handed her another, "Pickled eggs," she cheered, pouring that in to.

The Doctor stared incredulously at the phone, before he glanced at Poppy, "You're sister kisses this man?"

"Shut up!" Rose exclaimed through the phone, still searching the cupboard, "That's it…" she straightened up, taking the jug from her mum a second before the Slitheen kicked the barricaded kitchen door down and stepped into the kitchen, Mickey shifted his hands around the cricket bat even as he backed up with Jackie and Rose.

Rose steeled her jaw and hefted the contents of the jug, throwing it over the advancing Slitheen, dousing it in the vinegar concoction. It stopped blinking it's large round black eyes at them, before it let out a fart and then exploded showering the three and the kitchen in innards.

"Urgh! So gross!" Rose bemoaned, dropping the jug both relieved and disgusted and wiping a bit from her cheek with a shudder.

Whilst in the Cabinet Rooms the three gathered around the speaker let out a collective breath of relief.

"Prefer gross to dead, Ro-Ro," Poppy murmured, her hands releasing their tight grip on the back of the chair.

"Shut up, Pop," came Rose's half-hearted response, "You try being covered in green slimy…" Rose shivered again, "Just ew!"

"I'll pass," Poppy replied with a bit of a smirk, just so relieved. She turned to Harriet, her eyes questioning, "Hannibal?" whilst the Doctor picked up the decanter starting to slosh a small measure of the brandy into three glasses.

"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar," Harriet explained.

"Oh, right," Poppy nodded.

"Let me guess, the Alps are suddenly on your list of places to visit," the Doctor questioned with a bit of cheeky grin as he set down the decanter.

"Actually," Poppy began as she and Harriet stepped over to him, "The Alps was already on my list of places and things to see," she informed him and picked up one of the glass. The three silently toasted the moment, before drinking.

 ***O*O*O***

Downstairs in the reception area Asquith approached Joseph, "He's dead," the Slitheen disguised as the General informed his brother, "Sip Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen is dead."

"I felt it," Joseph nodded, frowning darkly, "How could that happen?"

"Somebody must've got lucky," Asquith stated.

Joseph straightened his suit turning to look at the front door of 10 Downing Street and the press that were waiting, "That's the last piece of luck anyone on this rock will ever have," he sneered darkly before he strolled towards the doors, Asquith following him out.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Joseph began his broadcast, staring right into the camera, "Nations of the world, humankind. The greatest experts in experts in extra-terrestrial events came here tonight," he continued, "They gathered in the common cause, but the news I bring you now is grave indeed."

 ***O*O*O***

"Mum!" Rose called from Mickey's living room, pausing in wiping more of the green gooey slime off herself, her eyes glued to the telly that she'd flicked on, "Mickey get in here!"

Mickey stepped in wiping at his face with a towel of his own, Jackie following him in, the phone in her hand as Joseph broadcast continued.

"The experts are dead, murdered right in front of me by alien hands. People of the Earth, heed my words. These visitors do not come in peace."

Mickey turned and grabbed his phone off Jackie who was staring at the telly wide eyed, "Listen to this," he informed the three on the other end and stepped closer to the telly aiming his phone at it so they could hear it better.

 ***O*O*O***

"Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads," Joseph's voice came through the speaker and the Doctor, Poppy and Harriet gathered around it, all three listening intently, "And they have found massive weapons of destruction, capable of being deployed within 45 seconds."

"What?" the Doctor muttered confused, all the relief from earlier sucked from the small group as they continued to listen to Joseph make his press release through the speaker.

"Our technicians can, baffle, the alien probes. But not for long. We are facing extinction. Unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg the United Nations – pass an emergency resolution. Give us the codes! A nuclear strike at the heart of the ship is our only chance of survival. Because… from this moment on… it is my solemn duty to inform you… planet Earth is at war."

The Doctor shook his head, "He's making it up. There's no weapons up there, there's no threat. He just invented it."

Harriet looked at him, somewhat alarmed, "Do you think they'll believe him?"

"They did before," Poppy muttered, "I guess that answers the question of why they decided to suddenly put on a show."

The Doctor nodded, "The Slitheen wanted a spectacle. They want the whole world panicking, because you lot, you get scared, you lash out."

Poppy nodded slowly, "They release the defence codes…"

"And the Slitheen go nuclear," the Doctor finished grimly.

"But why?" Harriet questioned, frowning with confusion.

The Doctor stalked over to the door, Poppy and Harriet following him and pressed the button by it and the shutters parted to reveal the Slitheen that had been waiting outside the door, Margaret still in her skinsuit at the head of them.

"You get the codes, release the missiles. But not into space because there's nothing there," the Doctor stated, speaking quickly as his stared coolly at the Slitheen, "You attack every other country on Earth, they retaliate, fight back. World War Three, whole planet gets nuked."

"And we can sit through it in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed. Just parked. They'll be two minutes away," Margaret replied smugly.

"But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place. What for?" Harriet demanded to know staring at the alien in her human skinsuit aghast.

"Profit," the Doctor replied grimly, "That's what the signal is beaming into space," he explained, "An advert."

"Sale of the century," Margaret shrugged smugly, "We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it. Piece by piece. Radioactive chunks capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship," she explained casually, "There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel."

"At the cost of 5 billion lives," the Doctor frowned at her.

Margaret shrugged at him, a smirk playing along her lips, "Bargain."

"Then I give you a choice," the Doctor began and Poppy tore her horrified eyes from the Slitheen grouped at the door to look at him, "Leave this planet or I'll stop you."

The Slitheen laughed at the absurdity of his threat, "What? You?" Margaret sneered mockingly as her laughter died though the derisive amusement was still clear on her face as she stared at the three in doorway, "Trapped in your box?"

The Doctor stared at her not even slightly shaken by their disbelief, "Yes. Me," he replied and this time faced with his certainty… the cold hardness in the eyes of the Doctor, Margaret's resulting laughter was tinged with nervousness as a sliver of worry wormed its way past her boisterous confidence.

The Doctor pressed the button again and the smirk slowly slid from Margaret's face as the shutters came up between them again.

 ***O*O*O***

"Yesterday saw the start of a brave new world," Hitchinson reported from the deserted banks of the Thames, the morning sun rising in the sky, "Today might see it end. The streets are deserted. Everyone's home, just waiting, as the future is decided in New York."

 ***O*O*O***

"It's midnight here in New York," a woman newsreader announced to her viewers, among them Rose, Mickey and Jackie from Mickey's living room, "The United Nations has gathered. England has provided them with absolute proof that the massive weapons of destruction do exist. The Security Council will be making a resolution in a matter of minutes, and once the codes are released, humanity's first interplanetary war begins…"

Jackie hugged Rose to her tightly as the two sat together on one of Mickey's couches wishing that she had Poppy here with her too. Whilst Mickey strode over to the telly and picked up his phone from on top of it.

"It'll be alright, mum," Rose murmured reassuringly, hugging her back, "The Doctor will stop it," Jackie stared at her daughter dubiously, but Rose was busy staring at the telly, her brow slightly furrowed, rather wishing that she was with Poppy and the Doctor too instead of stuck sitting here unable to do much of anything at all, completely helpless to help them like she really wanted to be doing, "You'll see."

Mickey stared at them for a moment, before his gaze returned to the telly, some of the green gooey alien innards still stuck to his red shirt.

 ***O*O*O***

Margaret, Asquith and Joseph moved to ascend the stairs back up the building, Joseph pausing at the bottom, "Sergeant," he addressed the man, "We'll take the call in the Prime Minister's office. Maintain your positions," he ordered and the Sergeant nodded, "Good luck," he grinned and started up the stairs.

Asquith patting the Sergeant genially on the shoulder before continuing up the stairs himself following Margaret and Joseph. Whilst the Sergeant obediently resumed his position at the base of the stairs.

"Oh! look at that!" Margaret grinned as they entered the Prime Minister's office, "The telephone is actually red," she blew it a kiss.

Joseph moved past her and Asquith, farting loudly as he took the seat in front of the phone his eyes on locked on it with greedy malicious excitable impatience, "How long till they phone?!" he wondered aloud.

"Counting down…!" Asquith exclaimed, the three gathered around the phone, eyes locked on it waiting for it to ring.

 ***O*O*O***

"Alright, Doctor. I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do?" Jackie said into the phone with a great reluctance.

"If we ferment the port, we could make ascetic acid," Harriet suggested.

"Mickey, Rose, any luck?" Poppy asked hopefully.

"None," Rose grumbled, staring moodily at the screen of Mickey's laptop.

"There's loads of emergency numbers," Mickey expounded with a frown, "But they're all on voicemail."

"Voicemail dooms us all," Harriet bemoaned.

"If you lot could just get out of there…" Rose sighed.

"There's a way out," the Doctor said from where he was leaning against a wall, his arms folded across his chest. His face set in a grim line. He really hadn't wanted to even bring it up… but they were running out of options, and time.

"What?!" Rose exclaimed incredulously, frowning at the phone.

Poppy turned to face him, eyeing him with a slightly furrowed brow, "There is?"

"There always has been a way out," the Doctor admitted heavily.

"Then why haven't you used it?!" Rose demanded.

The Doctor pushed away from the wall, his gaze sliding over Poppy as he strode over to the table the speaker was resting on, "Because," he rested his hands on the table, "I can't guarantee that Poppy will be safe."

"Don't you dare!" was Jackie's immediate vehement response, her body tensing, "Whatever it is don't you dare."

"That's the thing though," the Doctor sighed frustrated, agonised, "If I don't dare, everyone dies."

"Do it," Poppy didn't hesitate and the Doctor's gaze shot to her, wide and startled and a bit incredulous.

"You don't even know what it is, you'd just let me?" the Doctor asked astounded.

"Yeah," Poppy nodded resolutely, "I would."

"Poppy…" Rose's pained voice came through the phone.

Jackie swallowed heavily, her eyes wide as her gaze shot to Rose and then back to the phone Poppy in the Cabinet Room on the other end, "Oh my God… please!" she pressed her hands to her mouth, "They're my children! They're just kids…!" tears threatened to spill, she could possibly lose one or both… she wanted to plead and scream, because it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all!

"Do you think I don't know that?" the Doctor snapped, pained by the decision that he had to make, the world or Poppy Tyler and Harriet Jones and how many others were still in the building, but save Rose Tyler and her mother and Mickey the Idiot… and every other living creature on the face of the planet, "Because this is my life, Jackie, it's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Poppy questioned softly drawing his pained gaze back to her, "I've already made up my mind."

"I could save the world but lose you," the Doctor said pained at the very idea. He'd only just found her. Found her and Rose and now… Poppy offered him a small smile, before the moment was broken by Harriet.

"Except it's not your decision, Doctor," Harriet spoke breaking the moment and garnering the attention of the room, "It's mine."

"And who the hell are you?" Jackie snarled angrily through the phone, her temper severely frayed as her heart ached in her chest and Rose wrapped her arms around her mum.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people, for the people, and on behalf of the people I command you. Do it," she ordered.

The Doctor looked back at Poppy and grinned.

 ***O*O*O***

Joseph stood, "Victory…" he reached up to the zip on his forehead, "Should be naked!" he exclaimed and Margaret and Asquith followed suit. Flooding the office with bright blue light as the shimmied out of the skinsuits.

 ***O*O*O***

"Right. So, how do we get out?" Poppy asked as the Doctor opened the briefcase that contained the emergency protocols.

"We don't," the Doctor replied glancing at her briefly, "We stay here," he stated as he pulled out the papers inside.

"Oh," Poppy blinked at him as he glanced over the papers in his hands.

 ***O*O*O***

"The Council is voting," the woman newsreader reported, "The results should be known any second."

"I don't suppose they'll vote 'no'?" Jackie asked anxiously, if they only said no! Then maybe… just maybe. She didn't want to lose any of her babies!

Rose shook her head, "No chance," she murmured and Jackie let out a sob, that had Rose glancing at her in alarm, "Sorry!" she exclaimed, "No sorry, mum!" she hugged her, glancing back towards the bedroom where Mickey was back in front of his computer.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor continued to look over the emergency protocols Poppy and Harriet on either side of him, "Use the buffalo password," he spoke to Mickey through the speaker, glancing up at it briefly, "It overrides everything."

 ***O*O*O***

"How's it going?" Rose asked as she stepped into Mickey's bedroom, her mum following her.

"I'm hacking into the Royal Navy," Mickey replied glancing up at them, before his gaze returned to the computer screen, "We're in," he spoke into the phone, "Here it is, uh… H.M.S. Taurean, Trafalgar Class Submarine, 10 miles off the coast of Plymouth," he read off the screen.

Behind him Jackie paced with agitation, her heart pounding whilst Rose bit at her thumbnail, staring anxiously at the screen.

"Right," the Doctor's voice came over the phone, "We need to select a missile."

"We can't go nuclear, we don't have the defence codes," Mickey protested, Jackie let out a stressed sound and Rose glanced at her with concern.

"We don't need it, all we need is an ordinary missile," the Doctor assured, "What's the first category?"

"Sub Haffoon, UGMA4A," Mickey read from the screen.

The Doctor nodded, "That's the one. Select," he ordered.

Jackie stopped pacing and stepped up behind Mickey, "I could stop you," she threatened, eyeing him.

Mickey turned in his seat to look at her, "Do it then," he challenged, eyeing her right back, pain in his own eyes… his best friend was in that room.

Rose continued to bite at her thumb, her eyes locked on the computer screen, her heart hammering against her ribcage. Her boyfriend was about to fire a missile at a building that had her twin sister inside. Poppy could die… Poppy could… she swallowed heavily, her heart hurting at the very idea of her twin's death of a life without her in it.

"You ready for this?" the Doctor's voice came over the phone again.

Mickey glanced at Jackie and Rose for another moment and swallowed, before he turned his gaze back to his computer, "Yeah."

"Mickey the Idiot, the world is in your hands," the Doctor spoke again and Rose shifted anxiously as she waited, "Fire."

Rose jerked her thumb from her mouth, the taste of blood in her mouth, having accidentally bit too hard, whilst Mickey breathing heavily with nerves, moved the mouse, it's icon hovering over what he needed to fire it, he screwed his eyes shut and pressed the button.

"Oh my God," Jackie breathed horrified… a missile was heading straight towards one of her children. She sat down heavily on the end of her bed.

"Pop…?" Rose called into the phone, her voice sticking in her throat, forming a painful lump.

There was a beat of silence, "I know, Ro-Ro," the ginger replied, "And right back at ya…" Poppy swallowed, "To all of you."

Jackie let out a whimper, "Oh, God…!" and hugged Rose to her tightly.

 ***O*O*O***

Harriet walked over to the shutters and gave them an experimental tap, "How solid are these?"

"Not solid enough," the Doctor answered, "Built for short range attack, nothing this big," he explained.

"Right. Ok," Poppy muttered turning around, her eyes scanning over the Cabinet Room, searching it with determination, "My turn to make a decision," her gaze landing on a cupboard, "I'm not gonna die. Not today. They're still too much I haven't seen. Haven't done that I want to," she rambled as she moved towards the cupboard, "It's like what they say about earthquakes, you can survive 'em by standing under a doorframe or getting under a table," she started moving things out of the cupboard, "This cupboard's small so it's strong," she paused and glanced back at Harriet who was just staring at her. The only one who wasn't doing something in that moment, "Well, don't just stand there!" she exclaimed, "Come and help! Come on!"

Harriet hurried over and started to help emptying the small cupboard for the three of them to fit into.

 ***O*O*O***

"The vote is in," the woman newsreader announced as she got informed, "The Council says 'yes'. They are releasing the codes."

 ***O*O*O***

"Ring, damn you!" the Slitheen that had been disguised as Joseph demanded with impatience as he stood with the rest of his family in the Prime Minister's office, all of them waiting for the phone to ring.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor glanced over at Poppy and Harriet as they worked to finish empting the cupboard and grinned for a brief moment, before he turned his attention back to the phone he was standing by as Mickey spoke.

"It's on radar," he announced, "Counter defence 556."

"Stop them intercepting it," the Doctor ordered.

"I'm doing it now."

"Good boy," the Doctor praised.

"556 neutralized," Mickey informed him a short moment later and the Doctor ripped the mobile out of the speaker, disconnecting the call and hurried over to the cupboard, where Poppy and Harriet were still rushing about, handing Poppy her phone, swiftly shifting to help with the last of it. Really needing to hurry now.

 ***O*O*O***

"What do you mean, 'incoming'?" the Sergeant demanded as he rushed over to one of the armed security officers who was in front of a terminal. The man pointed at the screen and the Sergeant's eyes widened at the graphic showing the incoming missile. He turned and dashed over to a fire alarm, breaking the glass and setting it off, "Everybody out now!" he shouted, "Now!" he insisted before he darted up the stairs to inform the acting Prime Minister of the missile that was coming straight for them.

 ***O*O*O***

The Slitheen gathered in the Prime Minister's office glanced up and around with confusion at the blaring alarm that was going off, "What the hell is that for?" the Slitheen that had been Joseph questioned with annoyance a second before the door burst open.

"Sir, there's a missile!" the Sergeant shouted only to pause at seeing all the large green aliens gathered about the office, "…sorry," he turned and dashed out of the room again, heading straight for the exit now.

 ***O*O*O***

Jackie and Rose rushed out Mickey's demolished front door and onto the balcony staring with wide eyes as the missile soared past them.

 ***O*O*O***

"That's mine!" one of the Slitheen exclaimed as it tugged at Margaret's skinsuit, trying to wrest it from the grasp of another, "You've got mine!"

"Disguise me!" another cried with frantic desperation as panic descended over the gathered Slitheen family, "Disguise me!"

"You're the blonde," another shouted over the other voices of its squabbling kin, "I want the other one!"

"Take it off!" the first Slitheen shouted frantically as the one it had been tugging over the skinsuit with managed to get it on.

 ***O*O*O***

The Sergeant raised his gun into the air and fired a shot, stilling his men and the panicking remnants of the staff, "Everybody run!" he shouted and together they dashed for the exit, bursting out into the morning and away from the building as the missile began its descent.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor, Poppy and Harriet got into the cupboard, Poppy and Harriet on either side of the Doctor, the three crouching down in a corner.

"Nice knowing you both," Harriet murmured, the three of them linking hands, before she shouted, "Hannibal!" her eyes screwing shut in expectation of the incoming missile as they all braced themselves for impact.

 ***O*O*O***

The squabbling Slitheen paused looking up as the missile soared overhead, the sound of it growing louder, "Oh, boll…"

 ***O*O*O***

The missile struck and the small cupboard bounced around violently as the explosion rocked the building, the three inside it doing their best to brace themselves against the severe shaking. Then it stopped as suddenly as it had started.

They glanced around at each other before the Doctor pushed the door open and the three peeked out into the wreckage, before they slowly pulled themselves out of the cupboard.

"Made in Britain," Harriet exclaimed, relief coursing through her that they'd actually managed to survive the blast.

"Oh my God!" they heard someone exclaim and turned to see the Sergeant running over to them wide eyed, "Are you alright?"

Harriet flashed her ID card at him, "Harriet Jones. MP, Flydale North. I want you to contact the UN immediately, tell the ambassadors the crisis is over and they can step down. Go on, tell the news!" she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," he saluted, before he hurried off to do as he was told.

Harriet turned to look at the Doctor and Poppy, "Someone's got a hell of a job sorting all this out. Oh, Lord! We haven't even got a Prime Minister!" she bemoaned.

The Doctor grinned at her, "Well, maybe you should have a go," he encouraged.

Harriet stared at him then laughed, "Me? I'm only a backbencher."

"I'd vote for ya!" Poppy declared with a grin of her own, rather exhilarated that they made it out alive.

"Now, don't be silly," she scolded lightly only to be grinned at. She shook her head at them, of all the strange ideas, "Look, I'd better go and see if I can help," she told them before she climbed over the rubble and headed for the crowd of people, "Hang on!" she shouted over at the crowd, "The Earth is safe! Sergeant!"

"I thought I knew the name," the Doctor declared garnering their attention again as they walked, "Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms, the architect of Britain's Golden Age."

The two watched Harriet for a moment as she addressed the gathered press, before they started away, only for Poppy to pause, "Oh, hold on… what's the time?" she pulled out her phone and then blinked at it, "Oh," she groaned, "I've got to meet sensei in an hour!"

"Well," the Doctor glanced at her, "At least you won't be late," he grinned and Poppy laughed as they continued to stroll off down the street together.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy pushed open the door the Tyler flat and stepped inside, heading in towards the living room where she could hear the telly.

"How'd it go?" Rose asked, glancing up from the telly.

"As predicted," Poppy sank down beside her heavily on the settee, "I am a walking bruise," she grimaced, "But he was satisfied that I haven't fallen behind."

"That's good then," Rose murmured before their attention was drawn to the telly as Harriet continued with the broadcast she was making.

"Mankind stands tall, proud…"

"Harriet Jones," Jackie frowned at the telly as she came in, "Who does she think she is? Look at her," she gestured at the telly, "Taking all the credit. Should be you on there, Poppy," she insisted as she sat, "My daughter saved the world!"

"Uh," Poppy glanced at her mum, "I think it was the Doctor more than anything actually."

"Oh, alright," Jackie huffed, "Him too," she grumbled grudgingly, before she brightened again, "You should be given knighthoods."

"That's not the way he does things, mum," Poppy shook her head, smiling a bit, "No fuss. He just… moves on," she turned her head to look at her mum again, "He's not that bad…" she stared at her mum as her mum stared back, "If you just gave him a chance…" she wheedled with a wide hopeful smile.

"He's good in a crisis," Jackie folded her arms and looked away with a troubled frown, "I'll give him that."

"Oh!" Rose exclaimed with a bit of a smile, "Now the world has changed, you're saying nice things about him."

"Well, I reckon I've got no choice!" Jackie huffed, levelling a look on her children, "There's no getting rid of him since Poppy's infatuated."

Poppy choked on her saliva, "What?!" she sat up, "I'm not… I'm not infatuated," her twin and mum looked at her, "Oh, shut up…" she grumbled.

Rose grinned and shook her head whilst Jackie sighed, eyeing Poppy for a moment before she broke it, "What does he eat?"

Poppy blinked and glanced up at her, "Um…" she quirked her brows at her mum's expectant expression, "Food?"

"I was gonna do shepherd's pie," Jackie told them and Rose sniggered whilst Poppy blinked again, "All of us. A proper sit down. Cos… I'm ready to listen. I wanna learn about you and him and that life you lead. Only, I dunno," she shrugged, "He's an alien. For all I know, he eats grass and safety pins and things?"

"You're gonna cook shepherd's pie, for the Doctor…?" Poppy blinked at her mum.

Jackie scowled, "What's wrong with that?"

"He's finally met his match," Rose sniggered and Poppy let out a laugh of her own.

"You two aren't too old for a slap, you know," Jackie huffed and got more giggles from her children, she got up and heading towards the kitchen to hide her smile. She's missed the sound of them giggling even the sound of them screeching at each other and carrying on in the morning as they thundered down the corridor to reach the bathroom first, "You both can go visit your Gran tomorrow. And you'd better learn some French," she called over her shoulder as she started to putter about making tea, "I told her you were both in France," she explained, "I said you were both au-pairing."

Poppy's phone rang and she stifled a bit of a groan as her aching from being thrown around in a cupboard and trading blows with her sensei muscles protested just a bit as she reached around to pull it out of her pocket.

"Is it Mickey?" Rose asked with curiosity as Poppy checked the Caller ID.

"No," Poppy blinked a brow arching at the name lighting up her screen, "It's the 'Tardis'," she muttered, before she hit the answer button, "Hello?" she spoke into it and Rose shifted closer on the settee, Poppy obligingly holding the phone so that they could both hear.

"Right," the Doctor said as he stood by the console, phone held to his ear, "I'll be a couple of hours, then we can go."

"You've got a phone?" Rose spoke incredulously.

The Doctor paused, rolling his eyes, "You think I can travel through space and time and I haven't got a phone?"

"Well, you are a bit of a strange one," Poppy replied, her lips quirking upwards, Rose rolled her eyes at that, yeah, her twin was definitely infatuated.

"Like you're one to talk Miss Poppy Tyler," the Doctor rebutted with a bit of a laugh and Rose rolled her eyes again, lips quirking up in a bit of a smirk, "Like I said," he continued on, "Couple of hours… I've just got to send out this dispersal…" the Doctor pressed a button on the console, "There you go. That's cancelling out the Slitheen's advert in case any bargain hunters turn up."

Poppy smiled before glancing at the kitchen, "Uh, our mum's cooking…"

"Good!" the Doctor exclaimed, "Put her on a slow heat and let her simmer!" he huffed.

Poppy frowned, "Not like that."

"She's cooking tea," Rose explained, "For us. Family dinner."

"I don't do that," the Doctor informed them, grimacing a bit at the thought of having to sit through a meal with Jackie Tyler.

"She just, wants to get to know you, is all," Poppy tried, catching her lower lip between her teeth as she glanced at Rose.

"Tough!" the Doctor huffed, "I've got better things to do!"

"It's just tea," Rose tried.

"Not to me it isn't," the Doctor rebutted, idly fiddling with the console as he frowned. There was no way! He wasn't doing it!

"She's our mother!" Rose huffed.

"Well, she's not mine!" the Doctor shot back.

"She's gonna cook shepherd's pie!" Poppy tried to entice… glancing at Rose and the two smirked a little, it wasn't like the Doctor knew anything about their mum's talent, or lack thereof in the kitchen.

There was a pause over the line and the twin's smiled hopefully, "Nope, not interested!" the Doctor insisted.

The twins let out a collective disappointed breath, "That's not fair!" they grumbled.

"Well, you can stay there if you want!" the Doctor huffed at them and then paused, silence coming from their end too, "But right now," he continued as he shifted about the console slightly and stared at the monitor, "There's this plasma storm brewing in the Horsehead Nebula."

Poppy stared at a random spot not really seeing it as she listened intently as the Doctor continued.

"Fires are burning ten million miles wide. I could fly the Tardis right into the heart of it then ride the shock wave all the way out – hurtle right across the sky and end up anywhere. Your choice," the Doctor stated and then hung up.

Poppy slowly lowered her phone from between them, swallowing heavily, the Doctor's words reverberating through her, enticing her. Beside her Rose doing much the same, the blond squeezing her eyes shut...

Before Poppy was up out of her seat, stuffing her phone back into her pocket as she walked towards her room. Rose opening her eyes at the feeling of her twin getting up, before she too was up off the couch and heading down the corridor towards her own room.

 ***O*O*O***

In the Tardis console room, the Doctor shifted to move away from the central console after having placed the phone back in its cradle before he paused and turned back to the console and started moving his hands over the controls.

 ***O*O*O***

"So, I was thinking…" Jackie trailed at seeing the living room empty and so headed towards the corridor, "I've got that bottle of Amaretto from New Year's Eve," she nudged Poppy's door open wider to see her sorting through a large rucksack, one her daughter had bought especially for when she started travelling. Jackie took a steadying breath at the sight, "I was wondering whether he drinks or not."

Poppy paused in her packing of clothes and things and turned to her, "Uh, yeah," she nodded, "He drinks."

Jackie eyed her daughter, "I can't convince you to stay can I?"

"I'm sorry, mum," Poppy murmured, "But I… I can't… it's amazing out there. Absolutely amazing, and I…"

"Hey, Pop!" Rose called from down the corridor as she started towards her bedroom door, "Can you help me with what to…" the blond trailed as she stuck her head out of the door to see her mum in Poppy's bedroom doorway, "Pack…"

Jackie turned her head to look at Rose, her heart aching in her chest, the both of them… again… Poppy she'd always known would travel but… Rose… she glanced back towards Poppy and then to Rose, "Don't go…" she pleaded, "Please, don't go."

Rose swallowed heavily and looked down before disappearing back into her room, knowing that Poppy would come down in a bit to help her.

Poppy shifted closer to her mum and pulled her into a hug, "I'm sorry, mum. I'm sorry, but, I can't. I just… I can't."

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor poked his head around the Tardis door, "Good lad," he nodded at the child that was cleaning the graffiti off the side of the Tarids, "Graffiti that again and I'll have ya," he warned the child, "Now, beat it," the boy gladly scurried off, still uncertain as to how the man with the box had managed to track him down. The Doctor smiled after him, before he glanced over at Mickey who was sitting on a dustbin, reading the newspaper.

"I just went down to the shop," Mickey said, glancing up at him as the Doctor walked over to him, "And I was thinking, you know, like the whole worlds changed. Aliens and spaceships all in public. And here it is," he said showing the Time Lord the front page of the paper he'd gone to get, 'Alien Hoax' printed in bold splashed across it, "How could they do that? They saw it!"

"They're just not ready," the Doctor shrugged, "You're happy to believe in the invisible, but if it's staring you in the face, nope! Can't see it!" he grinned, "There's a scientific explanation for that. You're thick."

Mickey laughed and shook his head, "We're just idiots," he said with a light scoff.

The Doctor eyed him considering, "Well, not all of you," he muttered.

Mickey stared at him shocked and surprised, "…Yeah?"

The Doctor pulled a disc from his pocket, "Present for you, Mickey," he said holding it out to him, "That's a virus," he explained, "Put it online, it'll destroy every mention of me. I'll cease to exist."

"What do you want to do that for?" Mickey asked, studying the disc for a moment.

"Cos, you're right. I am dangerous. I don't want anybody following me," he said seriously as Poppy, Rose and Jackie emerged from the block of flats.

"How can you say that and then take them with you?" Mickey asked gesturing at his girlfriend and best friend.

The Doctor glanced from Poppy and Rose and then back to Mickey almost in disbelief at the words that were about to come out of his mouth, "You could look after her," he gestured at Rose, "Come with us," he offered and then shrugged with an air of nonchalance, "Between the two of them I've got my hands full."

"I can't," Mickey shook his head, "This life of yours… it's just too much, I… I couldn't do it," he admitted, before pinning the Doctor with a slightly panicked look as Poppy, Rose and Jackie drew closer, "Don't tell them I said that," he pleaded.

"I'll get a proper job. I'll work weekends, I'll pass my test and if Jim comes round again, I'll say no, I really will," Jackie pleaded.

"Mum… I'm sorry," Poppy murmured, "But I just I can't… though," she added, "You should drop Jim anyway. He's no good for you."

"We're not leaving 'cos of you," Rose murmured reassuringly, "We're travelling, that's all then we'll come back!" she smiled.

"But it's not safe," Jackie protested, her heart in her throat at the idea of her daughters going off with the Doctor again. The very real fear that she wouldn't see them again. Either of them again for another year clawing at her.

"Mum… if you saw it out there… you'd never stay home," Rose sighed adjusting her large rucksack on her shoulders.

"It won't be like last time," Poppy promised, "I'll do better at keeping in contact. You'll hear from me so much that you'll be sick of the phone ringing!" she tried to tease, "And, I'll look after Rose, promise."

The Doctor eyed the large rucksacks that his companions where totting with a frown, "Got enough stuff?" he asked sarcastically.

"Doesn't hurt to be prepared," Poppy shrugged as Rose pulled hers off her shoulders, "'Sides I like having my own clothes and things."

"Last time we stepped in there, it was spur of the moment," Rose threw her bag at the Doctor forcing him to catch it least the enormous bag hit him, "Now we're signing up," she grinned, pointing a finger at him as Poppy shifted her rucksack over her shoulders again adjusting the weight just a bit as she walked over to Mickey, "You're stuck with us now."

"Dweeb," Poppy greeted extending a fist.

"Grandma," Mickey nodded, bumping her fist with his. He eyed her enormous rucksack, "I still think that thing is gonna topple you over," he muttered as he had the first time he'd seen her eyeing it off in the store she'd bought it from.

"Nah, it won't," Poppy denied as Rose stepped over to them.

"Have you asked him yet?" Rose asked.

Poppy rolled her eyes, "I was getting to it."

"Ask me what?" Mickey questioned eyeing the two.

"We were kind of hoping you'd come with us," Poppy told him with a hopeful grin and Mickey had to fight the urge to squirm under the hope in it especially as Rose added her own hopeful grin into the mix.

"There's plenty of room," the blond enticed hopefully.

Mickey swallowed again and shot the Doctor a 'save me' look as he gestured at the Time Lord getting the twin's to look at him.

The Doctor stared at him a moment before sighing and wondering how he was letting himself get roped into this, before he turned his eyes to the twins that were staring at him questioningly, "No chance, he's ah, a liability, I'm not having him on board," he declared.

Poppy frowned at the Doctor, her arms crossing over her chest, "Did you forget the part where he helped save the world?"

"We'd be dead without him," Rose nodded her hands on her hips.

The Doctor glanced over at Mickey who was no shaking his head at him behind the twins backs, "My decision is final," he said firmly his eyes going back to his companions.

"Urgh, lame," Poppy huffed at the Time Lord, before she turned back to her best friend, "Sorry, Mickey."

Mickey shrugged, "Good luck then, Grandma," he raised his fist and Poppy bumped it with her own the two sharing a grin, before Poppy shifted away, moving back towards the Time Lord that was still holding Rose's rucksack and her mum.

"Sorry," Rose murmured and then gave him a kiss.

"Good luck, yeah," Mickey sighed, knowing that there was no point in asking Rose to stay either, not with Poppy going.

Jackie unable to contain herself any longer rounded on the Doctor, "You still can't promise me," she accused, eyeing him with a frown, "What if they get lost? What if something happens to you, Doctor, and they're both left all alone standing on some moon a million years away – how long do I wait then?"

The Doctor stood, hugging the large bag Rose had tossed at him, not really having an answer for the woman that'd make her feel better.

"Mum…" Poppy murmured and her mum whirled around to look at her, "It's time machine," she reminded her.

"Did you forget, silly," Rose grinned, "We could go travelling around suns and planets and all the way out to the edge of the universe, and by the time we get back, yeah, ten seconds would have passed. Just ten."

"Mum…" Poppy drew her attention back to her, "We'll be back before you know it. And, I swear," she placed a hand on her mum's shoulder, "We'll phone this time!"

"So stop worrying," Rose smiled warmly placing a hand on her mum's other shoulder, "We'll see you in ten seconds time, hmm?"

The twins hugged her tightly, before they slowly pulled back from her, Jackie staring at them as they turned and started for the Tardis. Poppy returned Mickey's parting wave as they followed the Doctor inside the big blue box.

"Not sure you should have promised ten seconds," Poppy mused with a bit of a frown as the door clicked quietly shut behind them. The ginger ditching her rucksack where the Doctor had set down Rose's.

"Why not?" Rose asked, eyeing her twin as they followed the Doctor over to the console, the Time lord already pressing buttons.

"Well, his driving skills!" Poppy gestured at the Doctor.

Rose frowned, suddenly feeling like she'd promised something she shouldn't have, "Good point!" she nodded.

"Oi!" the Time Lord frowned at them from across the console, "There is absolutely nothing wrong with my driving!" he flicked a switch and pressed another button as the twins stared at him incredulously for his statement, "Now, plasma storm in the Horsehead Nebula!" he grinned with delight, "Here we come!" and he threw a lever making the Tardis wheeze as she dematerialised and the three where soon clutching tightly at the console as the Doctor sent them flying precariously through the vortex.


	6. Chapter 6 Dalek

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just Poppy my o/c.

 **A/N:** A big thank you's to everyone who followed/favourited and reviewed the previous chapter. And another big thank you goes to **Maethoriel Artemis** and **Saberbladeprime** for reading over this chapter for me and giving me feedback on it.

 **CHAPTER 6**

 **Dalek**

"It's amazing…" Poppy breathed with awe as she stood with the Doctor and Rose in front of the open Tardis doors. The sentient ship hovering in space a safe distance away from the burning fires of the plasma storm brewing in the Horsehead Nebula.

The Doctor, a hand resting above his head on the doorframe, smiled, glancing at his ginger companion before returning his appreciative gaze back to the fiery storm, "It is something to look at, isn't it?"

The twins nodded wordlessly, awed brown eyes still on the storm.

"You two ready to go?" the Time Lord asked after another moment had passed, excitement thrumming through him as he grinned brightly at them, "To fly on in and ride the shockwave all the way out?"

"Yeah!" Rose exclaimed with a beaming grin.

Poppy paused mid nod, "Oh hold on!" she exclaimed drawing their gazes as she darted across the console room and over to her bag, "Just a sec!" she exclaimed as she opened it and dug about inside both the Doctor and Rose watching her dig for a brief moment, before she let out a triumphant sound and pulled out a camera, "Gotcha!" she grinned turning back to them and bounding back over to the open doors, turning it on as she went.

"Oh! You brought it!" Rose exclaimed.

"Course I brought it," Poppy replied, "I didn't spend all that money on it just for it to gather dust at home when I went travelling…" the Doctor shifted away from the open doorway, "Oi!" she called after him, making him pause and turn back towards them, "Where are you going?" he made to gesture over his shoulder at the central console as Poppy continued, "Didn't you want to be part of the photo?"

"I thought you were taking one of the storm?" the Doctor queried with a blink as he eyed the ginger as she nodded.

"Yeah," Poppy agreed, "One of the view and a couple of us."

"A couple?" the Doctor questioned.

"Yeah," Rose nodded, a tongue and teeth grin lighting up her face, "One nice one and one funny one – it's tradition."

The Doctor blinked, curious, "Tradition?"

"Yep," Poppy stated, popping the 'p'. She aimed her digital camera at the storm eyeing the screen as she fiddled with the buttons, zooming in a bit and then out a fraction, "All our framed photos back home have a silly picture hidden behind the nice one," she divulged as she fiddled with the zoom a moment longer before she depressed the 'capture' button and snapped a photo of the brewing storm.

"We used to get up really early on Christmas day after mum went to bed and swap the nice photo's for the silly ones," Rose added with a reminiscent smile, "And mum would leave them like that till New Year."

"What do you mean used to?" Poppy turned to her twin a brow arching at her, "We did it last Christmas."

"That we did," Rose nodded.

The twins exchanged a grin, before Poppy glanced back at the Doctor that hadn't moved from where he was still standing in between them and the console, "Did you wanna be part of the photo or…" she trailed and grinned as he stepped back towards them, "Fantastic!" she cheered and he grinned back as he came to stand between the twins, their backs now to the open doorway, Poppy shifting her grip on the camera so that the lens was pointed towards them…

"Right," the Doctor clapped his hands jubilantly a bit later as he shifted about the console, "We ready?"

"Yep!" Rose nodded.

"Definitely!" Poppy grinned, tongue between her teeth as she joined them around the console, her camera safely back in her bag.

"Fantastic!" the Doctor exclaimed with a beaming grin, hands moving over the controls, "Hold on tight!" he grinned and the twins grasped the console as the Tardis jerked into motion, the ship shaking as she was flown directly towards the brewing plasma storm.

The Tardis let out an unhappy groan, the shaking of the ship increasing as they soared closer and closer to the heart of the storm… the Doctor hands moving rapidly over the controls as he flew her in. The twins grasp on the console tightening further as the shaking increased, "Almost there…!" the Doctor called as the Tardis let out another unhappy, groan lurching violently almost throwing the three off their feet.

And then the shaking and groaning stopped and the twins relaxed their grips slightly, glancing around the now calm console room, "Are we there?"

"Yes!" the Doctor grinned jubilantly, all excitement as he checked the monitor, throwing a lever and twisting a dial, "And shockwave incoming in 5, 4, 3, 2…"

The Doctor yanked down another lever and the twins cried out with a mixture of alarm and excitement and he let out a giddy laugh as the shockwave hit. Their hands tightening about the console again as the Tardis was sent hurtling precariously through space. The sentient ship shuddering and groaning, a shower of sparks erupting from the console.

And then, the three were swept off their feet as the Tardis suddenly swerved erratically, slipping back into the time vortex. The Doctor frowned as he pulled himself back onto his feet with an effort, "That's not right!"

"What's not right?!" Poppy shouted over the sound of the groaning engine as she too managed to pull herself back up to her feet, her hands tight about the console. Rose clambering up beside her a moment later.

"Push that lever up!" the Doctor shouted in response gesturing at a lever by Poppy's elbow as the lights above their head starting flashing rather ominously as the unhappy sentient ship groaned and moaned around them. The ginger with a white streak at the front grasped it and yanked it upwards, whilst the Doctor peered briefly at the console monitor, his brow furrowing minutely with concern before he turned his eyes towards his companions, "And hold on!" he called and shot them both a grin, "This could be a bumpy one!"

"What do you mean 'could' be!" Rose shouted as she tightened her already tight grip on the console in the hopes of not losing her feet out from under her again, "This is bumpy!"

"Bumpier then!" the Doctor shouted back a moment before the Tardis rocked rather precariously, almost managing to throw the three off their feet again.

 ***O*O*O***

The unhappy Tardis had barely finished materialising in a large dimly lit room when the door opened and the Doctor stepped out, followed by Poppy and Rose.

"So, what is it?" Rose questioned as she drew the Tardis door closed behind her, gaze going to the Doctor as she continued, "What's wrong?"

"Don't know," the Doctor replied as the three, squinted, peering about the large dimly lit area that was lined with rows of display cases of varying sizes , "Some kind of signal drawing the Tardis off course…"

"And, where and… when did the signal draw us too?" Poppy queried with curiosity turning her squinted gaze from the dimly lit area to the back of the Doctor's head.

"Earth, Utah, North America," the Doctor rattled off.

Poppy blinked and then smiled with excitement, "America? Really?" her very first trip to another country!

"Yep! America, really," the Doctor nodded, shooting the ginger a quick grin over his shoulder, having heard the excitement in her voice, "We're about half a mile underground," he added, "And, it's 2012," he answered the second half of her question as he started over to a wall having spotted a light switch.

"God, that's so close," Rose murmured and glanced at her twin, "So we should be… 26," she stated and Poppy nodded her agreement as the Doctor flicked the switch he'd wandered over to and the lights flickered on, flooding the room with light.

"Blimey!" the twins exclaimed as they glanced about the revealed area.

"It's a great big museum," Rose continued.

"Huge!" Poppy agreed as she and Rose followed the Doctor as he started walking through the exhibit.

"An alien museum," the Doctor clarified, eyeing the display cases all around them, the pieces on display inside of them, "Someone's got a hobby. They must have spent a fortune on this," he commented, glancing into the display cases as he walked past them, "Chunks of meteorite, moon dust," he listed as he did.

"Oh! And what's this?!" Poppy exclaimed as her gaze landed on what was inside another display case and the Doctor glanced over his shoulder at her before he turned and started over to the case she was peering into all curiosity, "It looks like it might be from some kind vehicle, craft thing," she rambled.

"That's cos it is from a vehicle, craft thing," the Doctor replied with some amusement over her word use, "It's the milometer from the Rosewell spaceship."

"Oh, cool," Poppy smiled as Rose wandered over, glancing into the case briefly at the milometer before it lifted and her eyes widened with surprise, "That's a bit of Slitheen!" she exclaimed drawing the Doctor and Poppy's attention to it, "That's a Slitheen arm," her nose scrunched with distaste as she peered at it, "It's been stuffed."

"Urgh!" Poppy grimaced at it, "Though I s'pose it could be worse," she mused eyeing it and Rose glanced at her twin, "They could have stuffed its head," Poppy elaborated in response with another grimace at the very thought.

Rose pulled a disgusted face, before their attention was drawn back to the Time Lord as he exclaimed.

"Oh!" he wandered towards another display case, Poppy and Rose trailing after him as he continued with a bit of lopsided smile, "Look at you!"

"What is it?" Rose asked as she and Poppy peered into the case that contained what appeared to be a robotic head with bars on either side of its head inside it.

"An old friend of mine…" the Doctor trailed and the twins glanced from the displayed head to him, "Well, enemy," he corrected and they turned their gazes back to the head, Poppy frowning slightly at it as he continued, "The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old," he mused with a small wry smile as he stared at the head of the Cyberman.

"It looks like robot," Poppy mused, eyeing the head, "Well, the head of a robot, but it's not," she glanced at the Time Lord, "Is it?"

The Doctor gave a grim nod, eyes still locked on the display, "No," he murmured lowly, "It's something so much worse…" he trailed and Poppy swallowed at the troubled look on his face, his eyes distant lost in a memory, before he seemed to shake himself out of it and smiled a bit again as he glanced at her, "Nothing to worry about though," he assured, "This things stone dead and no harm to anyone."

"So, it's not where the signals coming from?" Rose murmured, looking away from the head to glance at the Doctor.

"Nah," the Doctor shook his head, before he turned his attention back to the dead head of the Cyberman, "The signal's alive," he continued as he peered at the head, "Something's reaching out, calling for help."

"Oh, I wouldn't," Poppy tried to warn as he reached out a hand to touch the glass only for it to come too late as the Time Lord's fingers brushed the glass and an alarm blared, "These things are always rigged," she sighed glancing around as doors on all doors leading into the room burst open and armed security personnel started to stream in.

"Yep," the Doctor replied, shooting her a bit of a smirk, "They are."

Poppy's jaw dropped open and she stared at the Time Lord with wide eyes, "You mean you…" she trailed and groaned as the security officers streamed into the room surrounding them on all sides, cutting them off from the Tardis, "Fantastic," she deadpanned as she eyed the officers and their guns warily.

"Aren't I," the Doctor nodded with an unrepentant grin as the officers got steadily closer to them, guns pointed at them.

"That was sarcasm," Poppy grumbled and she hadn't been talking about him at any rate, but rather the situation, people where pointing guns at them again. She honestly wasn't a fan of having guns levelled on her!

"I'm aware," the Doctor nodded.

"Resisting the urge to hit you," Poppy muttered shooting him an unimpressed look.

"The restraint's appreciated," the Doctor nodded with another unrepentant grin that had Poppy's hands twitching at her sides.

"If someone's collecting aliens," Rose murmured softly as Poppy shook her head and muttered something unintelligible under her breath as she eyed the armed officers closing in on them warily, "That's makes you exhibit A."

And the Doctor grinned at the security officers, rather pleased with himself. Whilst Poppy expelled a quiet breath as the guns were lowered even as they were arrested for trespassing on private property. All the while the ginger wondered just what it was the Doctor was planning by getting them caught.

 ***O*O*O***

"Attention all personnel," a voice came over the tannoy, "Bad Wolf One descending," there was a scramble of motion as people hurried about at the warning, above them on the roof of the building a helicopter descended towards the helipad, whilst the employees continued to scramble with urgency, "Bad Wolf One descending."

In a corridor four armed guards lined the corridor they were in just before the lift doors dinged open and a man, the Henry Van Statten alighted, walking down the corridor at a brisk pace followed by his aides.

"On behalf of all of us," one of them, a man named Polkowski, spoke hurriedly as he hurried along the corridor, doing his best to keep in stride with his boss, "I want to wish you a very happy birthday, sir," he got no response and so hurried on, "And, the president called to convey his personal best wishes."

"The President is ten points down," Van Statten retorted, "I want him replaced," he stated with easy confidence.

"I don't think that's wise, sir…" Polkowski tried.

"Thank you so much for your opinion," Statten cut in derisively, "Your fired," he stated and Polkowski gaped with surprise and alarm as Statten spoke to one of the armed guard moving with them, "Get rid of him."

"Wha…?" Polkowski exclaimed only to cut off as a couple of the armed guard grasped him by the arms and dragged him off.

"Wipe his memory," Statten ordered a he continued to stride purposefully down the corridor, "Put him on the road someplace, Memphis, Minneapolis – somewhere begging with 'M'," a woman hastening forward to take Polkowski's place, "So, the next President, what do you think? Republican or Democrat?"

"Democrat, sir," Goddard, the woman who'd taken Polkowski's place replied.

"For what reason?" Statten questioned, not pausing in his stride, only half interested in the woman's answer, if at all.

Goddard hesitated, tensing slightly as she eyed her boss, not wanting to end up like Polkowski left on some road somewhere with no memory of how or why or what she'd been spending her life doing, what her career had been, "They're just so funny, sir?"

Van Statten paused, everyone pausing with him and Goddard breath caught in her throat as he eyed her intently, "What's your name?"

"Goddard, sir," she replied, "Diana Goddard."

Van Statten smiled, "I like you, Diana Goddard," he stated and Goddard smiled with relief as he turned to continued down the corridor, everyone swiftly moving with him, hastening into the same brisk pace as before, "So, where's the English kid?"

"Sir!" the 'English kid' called as he hurried to catch up to the group, "Sir!" he caught up and hurried along with them as he came up on Van Statten's other side, "I bought ten more artefacts at auction, Mr Van Statten."

"Bring 'em on, let me see 'em," Statten ordered.

"Sir, with respect, there's something more urgent," Goddard informed him, gaining Statten's attention back, "We arrested three intruders 53 floors down," she continued, "We don't know how they got in."

"I'll tell you how they got in. In-tru-da window," Statten jested, only for silence to greet his words, "In-tru-da window," he glanced about at them, brow furrowing minutely as they stared at him mutely, "That was funny!" and obediently those stood about him broke out into laughter. That was tinged with nervousness as each wondered if they were about to be fired.

Van Statten nodded and smiled, amused at their expense, "Bring 'em in, let me see 'em," he ordered, "And tell Simmons I want to visit my little pet. Get to it!" he demanded as he turned and strode purposefully through a doorway.

Goddard stepped aside as she brought a hand up to her earpiece, tapping a button, "Simmons?" she called, "You'd better give me good news. Is it talking?"

"Not exactly 'talking', no," came Simmon's response and Goddard's brow furrowed minutely, the sounds of a chainsaw crackling through her earpiece.

"Then what's it doing?" she demanded to know, Statten wouldn't be happy if still no progress had been made with his little pet.

"Screaming," Simmons replied, "Is that any good?" and Goddard disconnected the call as Simmons revved up the chainsaw again.

 ***O*O*O***

"And this is the last…" the lone Englishman in Stattens employ was saying as Goddard stepped into an office, moving to join the others already in the room. Statten sitting at a table as Adam showed him his recent purchases, "Paid $800,000 for it."

"What does it do?" Statten questioned, eyeing the artefact he was being shown with interest as the Doctor, Poppy and Rose where escorted into the office and led towards the table he was currently seated at.

"Well, you see," the 'English kid' began, glancing briefly curious at the three that had joined them before returning his full attention to Statten, "The tubes on the side must be to channel something, I think maybe fuel…"

"I really wouldn't hold it like that," the Doctor cut in with an amused grin as he observed the way the American was holding the artefact… that incidentally was nothing like the young man was trying to describe it as.

"Shut it!" Goddard scowled.

"Really, though, that's wrong," the Doctor remarked unconcerned with the woman's displeasure.

"Is it dangerous?" the British man beside the American asked eyeing the artefact with concerned eyes, suddenly worried it'd go off disastrously.

"No," the Doctor shrugged, "Just looks silly," he commented and reached out for the artefact only to pause as the security guards in the office levelled their guns on them again.

Poppy and Rose tensed, the twins looking from the American to the Doctor and back again as the two seemed to have a sort of standoff as they eyed each other, the Time Lord's arms still mid reach for the artefact. Only for the moment to pass as the American lifted a hand, silently ordering his security to back down, allowing the two to relax again as the guns were lowered and the American handed over the artefact.

The American starting with intense intelligent eyes as the Doctor arranged his hands over the artefact with an ease that spoke of prior experience in handling it.

"You just need to be…" the Doctor trailed as he ran his fingers over it and a note sang through the air, "Delicate," he beamed a grin as he played a few more notes, enjoying the impressed looks he was getting from those in the room, grinning widely at them all. Sneaking another glance at Poppy to see her eyeing the instrument in his hands with delighted interest and his fingers stroked lightly over a couple more of the 'keys' making several more notes come from it.

"It's a musical instrument," the American deduced.

The Doctor nodded, his gaze flicking to the American before his attention turned to the instrument in his hands, his fingers sliding away from the 'keys' so he could stroke the sides of the curved instrument, "And it's a long way from home."

The American stood, "Here, let me," he demanded, the words barely passed his lips before he snatched it out of the Doctor's hands. His fingers moving over the 'keys' only to make harsh bleeping sounds.

The Doctor raised his brows at him, "I did say 'delicate'," he reminded, "It needs precision," he added.

The American's touch gentled and he tried again, a few notes chirped out of the instrument this time.

The Doctor smiled, "Very good," he nodded, "Quiet the expert."

"As are you," he observed, before he tossed the instrument aside with a careless motion, no longer interested in it.

Poppy followed the instruments path with her gaze, wincing as it landed, that had hardly been 'delicate' and instruments weren't meant to be thrown about like that.

"Who exactly are you?" the American asked, his gaze focusing on the Doctor.

The Time Lord lifted his own gaze from the mishandled instrument, his eyes disdainful now as he returned the American's stare, "I'm the Doctor. And who are you?"

"Like you don't know," the American scoffed smugly and Poppy couldn't help but raise her brows in disbelief as she eyed him as he continued, "We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artefacts in the world and you just stumbled in by mistake."

The Doctor shrugged, "Pretty much sums me up, yeah."

"The question is, how did you get in?" the American queried, "53 floors down. With your little cat burglar accomplices," he mused as he eyed the ginger with a white streak and the blond that'd been apprehended with the Doctor, "Quite a collector yourself," he commented, smiling as he leered at them, "They're rather pretty."

Poppy bristled, glaring at the man, her hands twitching into fists at her sides at the way he was staring at her and her sister, "Leer elsewhere before I give into the urge to smack you one," she gritted.

"Smack him," Rose huffed, her arms crossed equally as annoyed by the American's stare as she glowered at him.

"Don't tempt me," Poppy groused, crossing her arms in an almost identically fashion to her twin as she continued to glower at the American.

The American rolled his eyes, hardly feeling threatened by the small ginger or the blond for that matter, but he turned his gaze away from the young women, "Of course, they're both English!" he grumbled before calling back to the young man he'd been speaking to earlier, "Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy, you've got your pick of girlfriends."

Poppy rolled her eyes, arms still crossed in lingering annoyance at being leered at by the rather unlikable American.

Adam rolled his eyes himself in annoyance at his bosses choice of introduction before he smiled at the two rather pretty young women, "This is Mr Henry Van Statten."

"And who's he when he's at home?" Rose asked eyeing him, the annoyance melting off her face as she did, really taking him in for the first time.

"Mr Van Statten owns the internet," he stated.

Poppy arched her brows in disbelief, "Impossible," she scoffed.

"Don't be stupid," Rose agreed, "No one owns the internet."

"And let's just keep the whole world thinking that way, right kids?" Van Statten said with a smug mocking condescension.

"Delusional," Poppy muttered, eyeing Statten's smug expression that fell a bit at her continued disbelief, before rolling his eyes dismissively whilst Rose bit her lower lip to smother a low snigger that wanted to rise up in response.

"So," the Doctor spoke drawing Statten's full attention away from his companions, blue eyes unimpressed and cool in their regard of the man, "You're an expert on just about everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up."

Van Statten pinned the Doctor with a look, that was almost considering, "And you claim greater knowledge?"

"I don't need to make claims, I know how good I am," the Doctor retorted.

"And yet, I captured you," Van Statten rebutted smug once again, "Right next to the Cage. What were you doing down there?"

"You tell me," the Doctor challenged.

"The cage contains my one living specimen."

The Doctor's eyes turned a little cooler as he continued to eye the American, whilst Poppy frowned at that, disquieted, "And what's that?"

"Like you don't know," Van Statten scoffed.

"Show me," the Time Lord challenged again.

Statten smirked, "You wanna see it?"

"Blimey," Rose muttered, eyeing the two men, "You can smell the testosterone."

"No kidding," Poppy muttered her own gaze travelling from Statten to the Doctor and back again, brows quirked.

"Goddard, inform the Cage. We're heading down," Van Statten ordered and Goddard nodded and immediately shifted to do so, "You, English," Statten turned to Adam, "Look after the girls. Canoodle or spoon, or whatever it is you British do," he ordered dismissively, before he turned to the Time Lord again, "And you, Doctor with no name…" he turned and headed for the lift, "Come and see my pet."

"Right," the Doctor nodded and turned to his companions, "Back in a mo," he pinned them both with a look, "Don't go getting into trouble."

Poppy arched an amused brow as she eyed him, "Pretty sure that's my line," she quipped.

"Nope," the Doctor denied, "It's mine," he insisted and grinned a bit as Poppy made a low scoff like sound in the back of her throat, before he turned and walked towards the lift as Poppy smiled with light amusement and shook her head. He stepped into the lift, the doors dinging closed on those inside. Leaving the twins with the Englishman that gave the two women another friendly smile as they turned to him, promptly introducing himself as Adam Mitchell.

 ***O*O*O***

"We've tried everything," Statten continued his line of conversation as he led the Doctor towards the Cage, "The creature has… shielded itself but there's definite signs of life inside," he stated as they came to a stop outside of it.

"Inside?" the Doctor questioned as Statten entered a code, the door to the Cage opening behind them, "Inside what?"

"Welcome back, sir," Simmons greeted as he stepped out of the opened door, garbed in a protective suit, "I've had to take the power down," he informed them, "The Metaltron is resting."

The Doctor raised his brows, "Metaltron?"

"Thought of it myself," Statten commented with a smug smirk, "Good, isn't it? Although I'd much prefer to find out it's real name."

"Here," Simmons turned to the Doctor, "You better put these on," he held out a thick pair of protective gloves to him, "The last guy that touched it… burst into flames."

"I won't touch it then," the Doctor replied and Goddard smirked as Simmons blinked, lowering the gloves he'd been offering.

"Go ahead, Doctor," Statten urged, gesturing towards the door a touch impatient to see if the Doctor was as good as he thought he was, "Impress me," he stepped back as the Doctor strode forward, stepping through the heavy door and into the Cage, "Don't open that door until we get a result," he quietly ordered one of the guards, before he and Goddard bent down to look at a monitor on a desk, a monitor that was showing the surveillance footage of what was happening inside the Cage. The pair watching intently as the Doctor entered the pitch dark room.

 ***O*O*O***

The heavy door clanged shut behind the Doctor and he looked back at it briefly before he peered about the dark room again, taking in some of the instruments that had been used to torture the alien locked inside. His gaze was drawn to a lone faint blue light in the darkness of the room, "Look, I'm sorry about this," he broke the silence, "Mr Van Statten might think he's clever, but never mind him. I've come to help," he tried to assure the alien that he still couldn't really see in the pitch darkness, "I'm the Doctor."

A white light blinked next to the faint blue glow a moment before a tired metallic voice responded, one that had the Doctor's eyes widening in shock and horrified disbelief, "Doc-tor," it's voice echoed through the gloom.

"Impossible," the Doctor breathed with absolute shock, his hearts pounding in his chest, fear clutching at him.

"THE Doctor?" that all too familiar metallic echoing voice. The Doctor's shock morphing to absolute horror as lights suddenly flicked on, illuminating the form of the alien chained inside the room. One he'd never forget for as long as he lived… that of his greatest enemy, "Exterminate!" the Dalek exclaimed, "Exterminate! Exterminate!"

The Doctor turned on his heel and ran back to the door he'd come through, "Let me out!" he shouted, banging his fists against it so hard that it rattled, hearts pounding with his fear, terror, as those words echoed in his head. Memories clawing, knowing what it was going to do when it finished shouting.

"Exterminate!"

 ***O*O*O***

"Sir, it's gonna kill him!" Goddard exclaimed as she tore her gaze from the monitor, the Doctor still hammering at the door to be let out to look at her boss who was staring with a disquieting amount of delight for the situation.

"It's talking!" Statten rebutted and Goddard bit her lower lip, gaze flicking back to the monitor and the terrified man within.

 ***O*O*O***

"You are an enemy of the Daleks!" it cried as the Doctor smacked his hands against the locked door again, "You must be destroyed!"

The Doctor turned his head to look at it, hearts hammering with his mounting terror as the Dalek waved it's laser arm at him helplessly. He blinked and the terror faded from his face as his stared grinning instead, "It's not working!" the Dalek lowered its eyestalk to look down at its laser arm almost despondently and the Doctor broke out into manic laughter, "Fantastic! Oh, fantastic!" he crowed, "Look at you. The Great Space Dustbin. How does it feel?" he lunged at the Dalek, emotions raging… all the death and destruction wrought at the hands of the Daleks… the Time War, the fate of his own people…

"Keep back!" the Dalek ordered, straining against the chains holding it in place to back up with alarm from the volatile Time Lord.

"What for?" the Doctor questioned, standing mere inches away, peering directly into its eyestalk, "What're you going to do to me? If you can't kill… then what are you good for, Dalek? What's the point of you?" he took a step back and circled it. The Dalek following his progress warily with its eyestalk, "You're nothing," the Doctor continued, frowning heavily at the Dalek, whilst Statten, Goddard and Simmons watched the proceedings rather intrigued by what was unfolding, "What the hell are you here for?"

"I am waiting for orders," the Dalek stated.

"What does that mean?" the Doctor scoffed.

"I am a solider," the Dalek explained, "I was bred to receive orders," not telling the agitated Doctor anything he didn't already know.

"Well you're never gonna get any," the Doctor retorted, "Not ever."

"I demand orders!" the Dalek exclaimed, its stalks twitching with agitation as it eyed the Time Lord.

"They're never gonna come! You're race is dead!" the Doctor retorted his voice rising, "You all burnt, all of you. Ten million ships on fire. The entire Dalek race wiped out in one second."

"You lie!" the Dalek shrieked, the agitated twitching of its stalks increasing. Its entire belief system challenged.

"I watched it happen. I made it happen!" the Doctor declared, almost shouting now.

The Dalek eyed him, the agitated twitching of its stalks stilling, "You destroyed us?"

The Doctor's expression shifted the rage melting from his face and he quieted, turning walking away from it, guilt replacing his rage in that moment, "I had no choice," he murmured softly.

"And what of the Time Lords?" the Dalek questioned into the ensuing silence.

"Dead," the Doctor replied after a pause, swallowing heavily, his back still to the chained Dalek, "They burnt with you," he admitted, pained as he stared sightlessly ahead of him, "The end of the last great Time War. Everyone lost."

"And the coward survived."

The Doctor's jaw clenched ,"Oh, and I caught you're little signal…" he mocked, turning back around to face the Dalek, "Help me… poor little thing," he stalked back across the space towards it, "But there's no one else coming 'cos there's no one else left."

The Dalek lowered its eyestalk, "I am alone in the universe."

"Yep," the Doctor smiled.

"So are you," the Dalek lifted its eyestalk again in time to see the smile fad from the Doctor's face as it continued, "We are the same."

The Doctor whirled around, "We're not the same!" he bit out angrily, stalking away, "We're not…" he stopped, "No, wait. Maybe we are," he turned back around to look at the Dalek, "You're right. yeah," he nodded, "Ok. You've got a point. 'Cos I know what to do. I know what should happen. I know what you deserve," he raised his brows, "Exterminate," with that he turned and pulled a lever on a nearby control panel and the chained Dalek screamed as he turned to look, watching as the electricity surged around the Dalek.

"Have pity!" the Dalek cried with agony.

"Why should I?" the Doctor retorted, glaring heavily at the murderous alien, refusing to waver, knowing that no one was truly safe on this planet with it still alive… it had to die. It had to! "You never did," he turned back to the control panel and twisted a dial upping the voltage and the Dalek let out another scream.

Outside the Cage Statten turned from the monitor to look at the guards stood in the room with them, "Get him out," he ordered and the guards immediately moved to do so. The heavy door to the Cage opening a brief moment later.

"Help me!" the Dalek cried as the guards came in, grabbing the Doctor as lunged for the control panel again.

Van Statten who'd followed the guards into the room, turned to the Dalek as the guards pulled the straining Doctor away from the controls, "I saved your life. Now talk to me," the Dalek remained silent, merely staring, "Goddamn it, talk to me!" he demanded as Simmons turned off the electricity that had been assaulting the Dalek.

"You've got to destroy it!" the Doctor shouted desperately as he was dragged away by the guards that had a vice like grip on him.

"The last in the universe," Statten murmured, ignoring the Doctor's shouts as he was dragged from the Cage, "And now I know your name. Dalek," silence from the alien, "Speak to me, Dalek," Statten demanded only to receive more silence from the alien its eyestalk directed at him now that the Doctor was out of the room, "I am Henry Van Statten, now recognise me!" he demanded only to sigh at the continued silence. He turned to Simmons, "Make it talk again, Simmons. Whatever it takes," he ordered and Simmons nodded, smirking darkly as he approached the Dalek with a greedy, malicious light in his eyes.

 ***O*O*O***

Adam opened the door to his workshop and led the two women he'd been charged with minding inside, "Sorry about the mess," he apologized a tad self-consciously as he watched the two glance around at the space he worked in, "Mr. Van Statten sort of lets me do my own thing. So long as I deliver the goods," he boasted lightly, watching as the two poked around at a few things scattered about on his workbench curiously, "Here," he spoke again as he picked up one of the artefacts on his desk, "What do you think this is?" he asked holding it up so that the two of them could see it.

"Er…" Rose blinked at it and glanced at her twin that was eyeing it, "A lump of metal?" she guessed and beamed as Poppy gave an agreeing nod.

"It's definitely a lump," Poppy mused, "And it certainly looks like a metal," though she was stuck as to what sort.

"Yeah. Yeah, but I think… well, I'm almost certain, it's from the hull of a spacecraft," Adam told them, watching as Poppy shifted away as her gaze was drawn to another of the artefacts across the room. He placed the inch thick metal back down where he'd picked it up, "The thing is," he focused his attention on Rose again smiling with enthusiasm, "It's all true. Everything the United Nations tries to keep quiet, spacecrafts, aliens, visitors to Earth, they really exist," he enthused, eager to impress.

"That's amazing," Rose exclaimed with a small secret smile, rather enjoying the attention, Adam's enthusiasm… taking note of his nice smile as he beamed a grin at her.

"Astounding," Poppy called over her shoulder, glancing at the two with a bit of an amused smirk, before she turned her attention to what she was looking at once again, examining it intently, fingers twitching to take it apart and see how it worked.

"I know it sounds incredible," Adam continued still smiling as Rose stared at him avidly, "But I honestly believe that the whole universe is teeming with life."

Rose's smile widened slightly, "I'm gob-smacked, yeah. And you do what?" she glanced down at his workbench, "Sit here and catalogue it?"

Adam nodded beaming a grin, "Best job in the world."

"Paid to sit and tinker about with things from outer space," Poppy mused as she stepped away from what she'd been looking at, shifting to another artefact, peering at it all curiosity, fingers still twitching, "Sounds like every tinker sci-fi geeks dream."

"You'd know," Rose retorted.

"Mm-Hmm," Poppy hummed, "May have to look into it if we ever stop travelling," she mused with mock contemplation.

Rose rolled her eyes at her twin good naturedly knowing that the likelihood of that ever happening was unlikely.

"Well, as long as you're not after my job be my guest," Adam attempted to jest as he smiled at the ginger.

"And work for Van Statten?" Poppy scoffed, pulling a face that her twin echoed at the very idea, "No way. Guy seems like an ass."

"Well, yes," Adam admitted, "He is. A big one. But," he brightened, "He's a well-paying ass."

"Money isn't everything," Poppy muttered, turning away from Adam again, her eyes going back to the artefact she'd been looking at.

"Well, still," Adam said a little awkwardly as he stared at Poppy's turned back before he focused back on Rose who's gaze was back on him, "The job's amazing," he insisted, "Who else gets paid to sit and tinker with alien artefacts all day?" he grinned.

"Imagine if you could get out there," Rose murmured, eyes locked on Adam and Poppy paused in her examination of an artefact, frowning unhappily as she looked over her shoulder at her twin and Adam as the blond continued, "Travel amongst the stars and see it for real."

"Yeah…" Adam agreed wistfully, "I'd give anything. But I don't think it's ever gonna happen," he tacked on, "Not in our lifetimes."

"Probably not," Poppy agreed with him, her tone a bit flat with her irritation at her sister at the same moment Rose replied as she shifted closer to him.

"Oh, you never know…" Rose trailed and the twins glanced at each other, brown meeting brown, and Rose swallowed a little at the pointed look Poppy was giving her, her brow furrowed at her. The blond looked away and cleared her throat, "Uh," she focused her gaze on Adam, shifting away again slightly, "What about all those people who say they've been inside of spaceships and things and talked to aliens?"

"I think they're nutters," Adam responded.

Rose let out a laugh, glancing at her twin again who was facing away from them again, her shoulders set stiffly and she bit back a slight remorseful grimace, "So," she turned Adam once more, unable to help but still note how good looking he was, "How'd you end up here?"

Adam smiled, straightening up a little, "Van Statten has agents all over the world looking for geniuses to recruit."

"Ah, right," Rose eyed him, "You're a genius."

"Sorry, but yeah… can't help it," Adam shrugged, "I was born clever," and Rose couldn't help but smile, eyes locked on him, whilst from where she was standing Poppy shot them another look over her shoulder, her brow once again furrowed as she took in her sister face as she stared at Adam and her hands clenched at her sides, "When I was eight," Adam continued, "I logged onto the US Defence System. Nearly caused World War Three."

"And that's funny, is it?" Rose questioned, her eyes widening a bit as she stared at him with a mild alarm.

"It's not, seriously," Poppy called over her shoulder.

"Well," Adam glanced from Rose to Poppy and back again, realising that his bid to impress had missed the mark by a wide margin for both of them, "You should've been there! Just to see them running about! Fantastic!"

"You sound like the Doctor," Rose murmured.

Adam's expression fell slightly as he eyed the blond a bit cautiously, "Are you and him…?" he trailed meaningfully.

"No," Rose replied quickly, "We're just friends. Poppy however…"

"Oh, shut up," Poppy cut in turning back around to face them and starting back over towards them, pinning her sister with an irritated look, "I am not."

"You so are," Rose retorted with a teasing tongue in teeth grin, "Otherwise you wouldn't be flirting with him."

"I'm not flirt…" Poppy huffed, eyeing her twin as she exclaimed, "When have I flirted with him?!"

"Did you want the complete list of all the times to date?" Rose asked with an innocent air.

"I haven't… there hasn't been enough times for there to be a list!" Poppy exclaimed.

"Ah, but you admit that you have been flirting," Rose grinned.

"Ah, shut it," Poppy grumbled, her arms crossing over her chest, giving up on denial as she eyed her twin, her cheeks slightly heating as she ignored Adam's gaze, "So, what if I have been?" she huffed, pinning her sister with another pointed look, "I'm single so there's no harm in a bit of flirting…" and the Doctor didn't seem to mind… at least she didn't think he did… he even seemed to flirt back a little, but that could be wishful thinking on her part, maybe…

Rose swallowed at the reminder that she had a boyfriend waiting for her back in 2006…

"Well, that's good," Adam murmured, breaking Rose from her train of thought and she focused her gaze on him again. The young man having looked from Poppy to focus back on Rose and the fact that she wasn't 'with' the Doctor.

"Why's that good?" the blond questioned as her ginger twin arched a brow at Adam. Only for a small pleased, but slightly shy smile to curl up the blonde's lips as Adam focused his gaze on her, a thrill going through her at the interest she could see there.

"Just is," Adam murmured.

Poppy scowled as she glanced from her sister to Adam, teeth gritting in simmering anger as her sister didn't correct the situation… flirted whilst she had a boyfriend, who was her best friend. She took a breath and shifted, mouth opening…

"So…" Rose cut in before her twin could get a word out, effectively breaking the moment that had passed between herself and Adam, "Wouldn't you rather be downstairs?" she continued as her twin shot her a look, "I mean you've got these bits of metal and stuff, but Mr Van Statten's got a living creature down there."

"Yeah… yeah well I did ask," Adam admitted, "But he keeps it to himself. Although," he grinned, a little smug, "If you're a genius, it doesn't take long to patch through on the comm system."

Rose laughed, "Let's have a look then," she urged and Adam shot her a grin before he turned to a computer and started tapping his fingers over the keys on the keyboard. Rose and Poppy shifting to peer at the monitor over his shoulders.

"It doesn't do much, the alien," Adam commented as he continued to type, "It's weird, it's kind of… useless, it's just like this… great big pepper pot."

Poppy blinked and glanced at Adam, her brows arched upwards in question, "Pepper pot?"

"See for yourself," Adam replied and tapped a last key, patching them through on the comm and the monitor showed the surveillance footage in the Cage.

Poppy's eyes widened, all traces of her lingering anger snuffed completely as horror to its place as they watched a man approach the 'pepper pot' alien with a big drill-like device in hand, "Oh my God!" she breathed aghast as the alien creature screamed in agony as the man used the drill device on it.

"It's being tortured!" Rose exclaimed as aghast as her twin her gaze locked on the screen.

"Can you see the Doctor?" Poppy asked, frowning as she scanned the monitor for any sign of the Time Lord.

Rose shook her head, "Where is he?"

Adam glanced back at the two, "I don't know."

"Take us down there," Rose demanded as she and Poppy headed towards the door to Adam's workspace.

"Shift it, Boy Wonder!" Poppy insisted.

"Boy Wonder?" Adam protested with a bit of a frown. When did he become 'Boy Wonder'? Suddenly getting the feeling that perhaps the ginger didn't like him… but she hadn't seemed to have a problem with him earlier…

"Now!" Rose demanded and Adam, put aside his musings as he jumped out his chair and hurriedly followed the two of them out of the room and then into the lift. The doors dinging closed on them as he pushed the button that'd take them down to the floor with that the pepper pot aliens Cage resided.

 ***O*O*O***

"The metal is just battle armour," the Doctor explained as he, Statten, Goddard and members of the security team stepped into the lift, "The real Dalek creature's inside."

"What does it look like?" Statten questioned as the lift doors closed and they started moving.

"A nightmare," the Doctor responded before forcing himself to elaborate at the expectant looks levelled on him, "It's a mutation. The Dalek race was genetically engineered. Every single emotion was removed except hate."

"Genetically engineered…" Statten commented, actually finding himself rather impressed by that tid bit, "By whom?"

"By a genius, Van Statten," the Doctor retorted, eyeing Statten, "By a man who was king of his own little world. You'd like him."

"It's been on Earth for over 50 years. Sold at a private auction, moving from one collection to another," Goddard spoke up as she eyed the Doctor with a mild frown trying to understand the danger the man seemed the think they were all in, "Why would it be a threat now?"

"Because I'm here," the Doctor replied grimly, before he glanced at Goddard, "How did it get to Earth? Does anyone know?"

"Records say it came from the sky like a meteorite," Goddard stated, "It fell to Earth on the Ascension Islands. Burnt in its crater for three days before anybody could get near it and all that time it was screaming. It must've gone insane."

"Must've fallen through time," the Doctor muttered with a frown, "The only survivor."

Statten eyed him, "You talked about a war?"

"The Time War," the Doctor replied, distracted, not noticing the way Statten was looking at him as he continued, "The final battle between my people and the Dalek race."

"But you survived too," Statten probed, still eyeing the man he was now completely certain was an alien… one that looked human.

"Not by choice," the Doctor muttered.

"This means that the Dalek isn't the only alien on Earth, Doctor, there's you," Statten grinned, "The only one of your kind in existence."

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor squinted against the bright lights that had flashed on, illuminating him as he stood stripped of his jacket and jumper leaving his torso bare and chained to a rack, his arms spread-eagle as Statten stood across the room from him, behind a scanning device that was aimed at him.

Statten grinned at him, "Now, smile!" he ordered as he pressed a button switching on the scanner, and a laser hit him, and he grimaced against the pain as it started to scan him, "Two hearts! Binary vascular system!" Statten exclaimed with excitement, practically seeing the dollar signs, "Oh, I am so going to patent this,"

"So that's your secret!" the Doctor bit out through gritted teeth as the scan continued to run, "You don't just collect this stuff, you scavenge it."

"This technology has been falling to Earth for centuries. All it took was the right mind to use it properly. Oh, the advances I've made from alien junk, you have no idea, Doctor. Broadband? Roswell. Just last year my scientists cultivated bacteria from the Russian Crater, and do you know what they found?" Van Statten asked smugly.

The Doctor glared up at him questioningly, chest heaving, sweat beading over his skin as the painful laser continued to scan him.

"The cure for the common cold. Kept strictly within the laboratory of course, no need to get people excited. Why sell one cure when I can sell a thousand palliatives?" Van Statten explained with an insufferably smug smile, completely unconcerned by the Doctor's pain.

' _Of course – bloody money!'_ the Doctor thought with a pained wince. It was always about money with people like Statten! _'Humans,'_ he internally sneered, "Do you know what a Dalek is, Van Statten?" he gritted out, "A Dalek is honest. It does what it was born to do for the survival of its species, that creature in your dungeon is better than you."

"In that case, I will be true to myself and continue," Van Statten said, still unconcerned as he walked back over to the scanner.

The Doctor watched him starting to get a bit frantic, "Listen to me, that thing downstairs is going to kill every last one of us!" he shouted.

"Nothing can escape the Cage," Van Statten responded as he ran the scan again and watched dispassionately as the Doctor writhed in pain once again.

"But it's woken up! It knows I'm here! It's gonna get out!" the Doctor yelled, "Van Statten, I swear no one on this base is safe! No one on this planet!" his body arched beyond his control as the scan ran again, a ragged scream tearing from his throat.

 ***O*O*O***

Adam flashed his ID at a Security guard who'd moved to stop them, "Level three access. Special clearance from Mr. Van Statten," the guard nodded and let them pass.

The three stepped inside the Cage, Poppy and Rose staring at the chained tormented creature as the door clanked closed behind them.

"Don't get to close…" Adam warned them, but was summarily ignored as the twins carried on approaching the alien.

"Hello there," Poppy murmured softly as she and Rose peered at the Dalek, staring at its eyestalk as it stared back at them.

"Are you in pain?" Rose asked with concern. The alien remained disquietingly silent just staring at them and the twins exchanged a concerned look, "My name's Rose Tyler," the blond introduced herself as they returned their brown eyes back to the creature.

"And mine's Poppy Tyler," the ginger introduced herself next, the two hoping to put the tortured creature at ease, at least a little.

"We've got a friend," Rose continued, "He can help."

"It's what he does," Poppy nodded with a friendly smile for the creature as all the while it simply continued to silently observe them.

"He's called the Doctor," Rose added, "What's your name?" the silence continued and the twins exchanged another concerned look at its continued to remain unresponsive.

"Yes," it suddenly spoke, it's strange metallic voice drawing their attention back to it, confusion on their faces.

"What?" Rose asked with a blink.

"I am in pain," it replied wearily, slowly raising its eyestalk to better observe the two female humans faces as they peered at it, "They torture me, but still they fear me. Do you fear me?"

"No," Poppy murmured, "No fear from us."

"None," Rose agreed, shaking her head a bit for emphasis.

It lowered its eyestalk tiredly, "I am dying," it admitted.

"No, we can help!" Rose protested, before glancing at her twin, "Right, Pop? We can… we can help?"

Poppy nodded, "Yeah… we probably need the Doctor for that though," she sighed glancing about for the absentee Time Lord, finding it strange that he wasn't here still, "We're no alien experts…" she trailed her brown eyes returning to the tormented creature as it spoke again.

"I welcome death. But I am glad…" it continued haltingly and the twins eyes turned sad and sympathetic in there regard of the creature, "That before I die… I met two humans who were not afraid."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Rose asked tearfully, feeling the hot press of them against the backs of her eyes.

"My race is dead," it stated wearily, "I shall die alone."

Poppy shook her head, blinking at the creature through tears of her own, just so sad for it, it sounded so defeated, "No you won't," she assured, "I won't leave you," she promised, "I might not be one of your people, but you won't die alone," she vowed and Rose gave a small nod of agreement one of her hands finding her twins and grasping it for comfort as she sniffled… she'd never thought they'd run into something like this whilst travelling with the Doctor it hadn't even crossed her young mind, "Not while I'm here," Poppy assured and slowly reached out a hand to touch it gently, comfortingly against the metal dome as it stared at her silently now.

Adam turned at that moment and his eyes widened with alarm for the young woman recalling the tale of one of the men catching fire from touching it, "Poppy, no!" he shouted in warning only for it to come too late as her hand made contact with the metal dome.

Poppy gasped in shock and yanked her hand back as it glowed brightly but not painfully, a hand shaped print glowing for a moment on the dome, before it was absorbed into the metal like it had never been there at all.

"What was that?!" Poppy asked eyeing the creature with a minute frown.

"Genetic material extrapolated," the creature exclaimed in the next instant, "Initiate cellular reconstruction!" it ordered itself, it's tone completely changed, now sounding dangerous and unfeeling.

Poppy and Rose scrambled back their hands still clasped together as the creature burst from its chains, sparks flying from it. The man that they had seen wielding the drill earlier ran into the cell shouting, "What the hell have you done?" he demanded to know, but received no answer as he approached the now freed alien creature. It pointed its sucker at him and the man scoffed unconcerned, "Whatcha gonna do?" he taunted, "Sucker me to death?"

"Oh…" Poppy breathed horrified, her eyes wide as the previously small sucker expanded and the creature proceeded to sucker the man to death. The sound of his skull cracking making the three flinch, before they were racing out of the room in terror of the creature that had been pitiable and near death just moments ago.

"Do something! Quick!" Poppy exclaimed with alarm to the guard that had questioned their presence down there in the first place.

"It's killing him!" Rose shouted with alarm.

"Condition red!" the guard spoke urgently into the intercom, shutting and sealing the door on the creature still inside it, "Condition red!" she repeated, "This is not a drill!"

 ***O*O*O***

Van Statten and the Doctor looked up as the alarm blared. The Doctor panting and sweaty from the pain of all the scans he'd been forced to endure, his hearts freezing in fear for Poppy and Rose at the sound of it, not to mention every other life inside the base, having just been waiting for something like this to happen from the moment he'd clamped eyes on the Dalek chained in its cage and Van Statten had refused to listen to reason.

And to top it off his companions where with an idiot pretty boy who couldn't tell a musical instrument from fuel tubes!

He lowered his gaze from the intercom that was blaring the alarm into the room to Van Statten, "Release me if you want to live," he told the American wearily.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor exited the lift at a run, Statten, Goddard and security guards swiftly following him out and into Statten's office.

The Time Lord immediately darted over to the large monitor on the wall that was linked down to the lobby just outside the Daleks cage, "You've got to keep it in that cell," he ordered as his gaze quickly swept over Poppy and Rose relieved to see that the two were unharmed even as his hearts seized in his chest at seeing them down there.

"Doctor," Poppy stepped away from her twin, stepping towards the camera, eyes locked on him through the screen apologetically, "I'm sorry," she continued as his gaze focused on her again at the sound of her voice, "It's all my fault."

"I've sealed the compartment," the security commander Bywater informed him as he came up beside Poppy peering into the camera, "It can't get out," he assured, "That locks got a billion combinations."

"The Dalek's a genius. It can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat," the Doctor stated.

 ***O*O*O***

Inside the cage, the Dalek glided over to the door and fitted it's sucker to the code lock and started swiftly running through the combinations.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy stood beside her sister once more, Adam on the other side of her twin. The three of them in front of the door with the security team, their guns at the ready. Rose's hand tight about her twins as they all waited. A brief moment later the door opened just like the Doctor said it would and the creature they now knew was called a Dalek emerged.

"Open fire!" Bywater shouted the order and the lobby exploded into noise.

From where he was still stood in front of the large monitor on the wall of Statton's office, the Doctor watched grimly as the bullets chinked against the Dalek's armour, but not causing any real harm, "Don't shoot it!" he heard Statten shout and his jaw clenched, but he didn't look away from the screen as the American continued, "I want it unharmed."

The Time Lord's gaze shifted from the Dalek to his scared companions, their wide scared eyes locked on the Dalek as they grasped each other's hands tightly as around them the gunfire continued the Dalek approaching completely unfazed by the gunfire, "Poppy! Rose! " he shouted urgently, "Get out of there!" and a small wave of relief swept through him as Bywater turned to another solider seemingly at his shout.

"De Maggio," Bywater shouted, "Take the civilians and get them out alive. That is your job, got that?"

De Maggio nodded and turned to the three civilians in the lobby with them, "You lot, with me," she ordered and turned and started away at a quick clip, Poppy, Rose and Adam immediately following after her.

Behind them the Dalek glided up to the screen that was connected to Statten's office where the Doctor and the others inside it were watching and smashed through it, cutting off their visual, absorbing the electricity that coursed through it at the shattering of the screen. A wail escaping it as it's rusted, peeling and battered metal armour bent back into shape, the rust fading away, leaving it looking shiny and new again.

"Abandoning the Cage, sir," Bywater reported into his comm, before beating a retreat from the Cage's lobby with his men.

 ***O*O*O***

Goddard peered at a computer, fingers moving over the keys as the Doctor and Statten peered at it intently over her shoulder, "We're losing power," she reported, "It's draining the base," her eyes widened with alarm, "Oh, my God," she exclaimed, "It's draining the entire power supplies for the whole of Utah."

"It's downloading," the Doctor informed them.

Statten frowned and glanced at him, "Downloading what?"

"Sir, the entire West Coast has gone down," Goddard reported.

"It's not just energy," the Doctor informed them grimly, "That Dalek just absorbed the entire internet. It knows everything."

 ***O*O*O***

The Dalek glided back from the computer, "The Daleks survive in me!" it exclaimed before opening fire at the room at large, shooting beam after beam.

 ***O*O*O***

"Sir," Goddard called, glancing over her shoulder at the two men, "The cameras in the volt have gone down," she reported.

"We've only got emergency power, it's eaten everything else," the Doctor turned to Statten, "You've got to kill it now!"

Statten met the Doctor's gaze remaining silent, unwilling to concede in that moment, whilst Goddard tapped her comm and spoke into it, "All guards to converge in the Metaltron cage, immediately."

 ***O*O*O***

Rose, Poppy and Adam ran down a corridor, still following after De Maggio, passing another group of security personal.

"Civilians! Let them through!" De Maggio ordered them, and the three ran on and out of sight as the squadron of guards still in the corridor behind them swiftly organised themselves and opening fire on the Dalek as it glided into view. The three cringing as the sound of gunfire echoed loudly behind them. Rose's hand tightening about Poppy's as the gunfire was rapidly followed by the screams of the dying as the Dalek returned fire.

 ***O*O*O***

"Tell them to stop shooting at it!" Van Statten insisted, piercing Goddard with a fierce look.

"It's killing them!" Goddard protested, staring at the man that she respected in shock. She knew he was a ruthless business man, but that was business – this was their personals lives… not just their memories their lives!

"They're dispensable, that Dalek is unique," Van Statten dismissed before speaking into the intercom, ignoring the looks he was receiving, "I don't want a scratch on its body work? Do you hear me? Do you hear me?" Van Statten frowned at the intercom, swallowing as the sound of gunshots finally ceased, but no reply came.

 ***O*O*O***

The Dalek proceeded to continue along the corridor, gliding past the dead bodies of the guards left in its wake.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor stood with Goddard in front of a computer screen staring intently at a blueprint of the base.

"That's us right below the surface. That's the Cage, and that's the Dalek," Goddard pointed out the different points, ending on the blue dot that was moving along a corridor.

"This museum of yours, have you got any alien weapons?" the Doctor asked, his mind frantic as he thought of and dismissed so many options to get his companions and the rest of the people in the base out alive.

"Lots of them, but the trouble is the Dalek's between us and them," Goddard replied and the Doctor grimaced, mind still racing.

"We've got to keep that thing alive," Van Statten insisted again, "We could just seal the entire vault, trap it down there," he suggested, trying to sound reasonable to the two that'd see the prize of his collection dead for something as common as workplace grunts.

"Leaving everyone trapped with it?" the Doctor turned, rounding on Statten, blue eyes flinty with anger as he glowered at the man, "Poppy and Rose are down there! I won't let that happen. Have you got that?"

Van Statten stood, but the Doctor turned back to the computer unwilling to listen to another word out of the American's mouth.

"It's got to go through this area," the Doctor pointed, "What's that?" he asked Goddard, determinedly ignoring the huffing Statten.

"Weapons testing," she responded.

"Give guns to the lawyers, technicians, anyone. Everyone. Only then have you got a chance of killing it," the Doctor ordered, his face grim. Goddard nodded and swiftly moved to do as she'd been told and the Doctor shifted to take her place in front of the computer. His eyes drifting to the blue dot that represented the Dalek, hoping that it was nowhere near his companions… that they were safe and still running for safety.

 ***O*O*O***

"Rose, come on," Poppy urged as her twin started to slow, "We can't stop yet!"

Rose nodded, "I know," she panted as she continued to run, doing her best to pick up her pace once more, "I'm just not as fit as you," she huffed as they rounded a corner, "Stairs!" she exclaimed with relief, "That's more like it!" Adam caught up huffing and puffing for breath, "It hasn't got legs, it's stuck!"

De Maggio raced over to them, having finally caught up to the three civilians she'd been charged with protecting, "It's coming! Get up!"

They hurried up the steps and paused to watch anxiously over the banisters their eyes fixed on the Dalek as it approached the stairs, only to stop to look up at them.

Adam breathed a sigh of relief and smirked, "Great big alien death machine. Defeated by a flight of stairs."

"Now, listen to me," De Maggio, her gun levelled on the Dalek, addressed the armoured alien with authority, "I demand that you return to your cage. If you want to negotiate, then I guarantee that Mr Van Statten will be willing to talk. I accept that we imprisoned you and maybe that was wrong. But people have died, and that stops. Right now. The killing stops, have you got that?" she continued, but the Dalek remained silent, merely watching her, "And I demand that you surrender, is that clear?"

"El-ev-ate!" the Dalek responded after a pause and to the small groups horror the alien began to levitate in the air, slowly gaining height.

"Oh my God!" the twins breathed with alarm, their eyes wide with it as they stared at the hovering alien.

"Adam," De Maggio, spoke not looking away from the Dalek as she ordered tersely, "Get them out of here!"

"We can't leave you," Poppy exclaimed with urgency, her brow furrowed as she turned to De Maggio.

"You can, you will," De Maggio insisted.

"Come with us!" Rose tried, pleading urgently, "You can't stop it!"

"Someone's got to try," De Maggio gritted out, "Now get out!" she gave the two women a push to get them started, "Don't look back," she bid with authority, "Just run!"

Adam, Rose and Poppy raced up the flight of stairs, quickly disappearing from view. The sound of gunfire filling their ears again as De Maggio opened fire… and then a high piercing scream that had them all cringing.

Poppy hesitating briefly as she turned and looked back, her eyes wide and troubled, guilty, her heart pounding.

"Poppy!" Rose cried.

"Yeah," Poppy nodded, turning away and picking up her pace again, "Coming!" and squeezed Rose's hand as her twin took it as they hurried along together, with Adam a bit ahead of them leading the way now.

 ***O*O*O***

"I thought you were the expert, Doctor," Van Statten accused only to be ignored as the Time Lord continued to stare at the monitor in front of him, "If you're so impressive, then why not just reason with this Dalek? It must be willing to negotiate, there must be something it needs, everything needs something," he insisted.

"What's the nearest town?" the Doctor broke his silence, still not looking away from the monitor as he eyed the blueprint intently.

"Saltlake City," Van Statten replied with a shrug, brow furrowing quizzically.

"Population?" the Doctor enquired.

Statten blinked, "One million."

"All dead. If that Dalek gets out, it'll murder every living creature, that's all it needs," the Doctor informed him.

Van Statten scowled angrily, a little shaken despite himself, "But why would it do that?!" he demanded angrily.

"Because it honestly believes they should die. Human beings are different, and everything different is wrong. It's the ultimate racial cleansing and you, Van Statten, you've let it loose!" the Doctor accused furiously.

 ***O*O*O***

"The Daleks surrounded by a force field," the Doctor's voice came over the intercom as guards readied themselves, "The bullets are melting before they even hit home but it's not indestructible. If you concentrate your fire, you might get through," he continued as the soldiers waited with apprehension, "Aim for the dome," the Time Lord started to clarify, "The head, the eyepiece. That's the weak spot."

"Thank you, Doctor," the Commander cut in, "But I think I know how to fight one single tin robot," he huffed, "Positions!" he barked and the soldiers swiftly moved to take cover, readying their weapons.

After a moment Adam, Poppy and Rose ran in, "Hold your fire!" the commander shouted as the three came to a hurried stop, their eyes wide as they stared at the armed soldiers, "You three get the hell out of there!"

The three immediately began running again, swiftly running passed the soldiers making it just passed a doorway when the Dalek came into view. They stopped and looked back as the Dalek paused its eyes stalk swivelling, zeroing in on Poppy's face as she stared back at it, her gaze turning disquieted and her skin prickling with unease.

It turned towards them and Poppy gritted her teeth, "Come on, move!" she urged and the three turned and ran on.

Rose glanced at her twin, taking in her disquieted expression as they ran along the corridor, "What is it?"

Poppy shook her head, "Nothin'."

"You are the worst liar in the history of bad liars, Pop," Rose retorted.

"Lies!" Poppy huffed and then glanced at her twin, "It was looking at me," she admitted after a short beat of silence.

"Yeah," Adam nodded, "It wants to slaughter us!" he reminded them as the three of them continued to run.

"I know that," Poppy replied her gaze going to Adam briefly, "But it was _looking_ right at me."

"So?" Adam frowned, starting to breath heavily again, "It's just a sort of metal eye thing. It's looking all around."

Rose frowned, eyeing her twin, "What do you mean, it was looking right at you'?"

"I don't know," Poppy admitted with disquiet, trying to put the feeling into words, "It was just… looking at me," she glanced at her twin, "Sort of like…" she trailed again, "Almost like – like it knows me."

Back in the lobby, the Dalek started forward again, heading towards the door, "On my mark…" the commander called and the Dalek focused its eyestalk on them, "Open fire!" he commanded and they opened fire…

 ***O*O*O***

"We've got vision," Goddard exclaimed and the Doctor who'd sunk into a chair, stood and turned to look at Goddard's monitor.

The Time Lord frowned grimly, "It wants us to see," he muttered as he watched the soldiers shooting, the hail of bullets once again doing nothing to harm the Dalek, as it stared up at the camera.

The Doctor gritted his teeth…

 ***O*O*O***

The Dalek slowly levitated, rising straight up until it was hovering near the ceiling. It fired a single shot from its laser arm, hitting the fire alarm, setting off the sprinklers. All the while the guards kept firing shot after shot. Completely unperturbed by the gunfire, the Dalek aimed its weapon at one of the men that had his feet firmly rooted to the now wet floor and fired, the resulting beam killing the man and electrocuting all others that were in contact with the growing layer of water now covering the floor.

"Fall back!" the commander shouted to his one remaining man, the two of them having been sheltered from the sprinklers, "Fall back!"

The Dalek fired with accuracy, killing first the commander and then the remaining guard before lowering its eyestalk, observing the lifeless forms and the useless bullets that were scattered over the floor.

The sprinkles still showering the area in water…

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor averted his gaze from the monitor, looking down, breathing heavily, shocked and heavily dismayed.

"Perhaps it's time for a new strategy," Statten broke the silence in his office, the man rather stunned by what he'd just witnessed, "Maybe we should consider abandoning this place."

"Except there's no power to the helipad, sir," Goddard retorted, shooting her boss a glare, quietly furious with him, "We can't get out."

The Doctor let out a breath, gathering himself, "You said we could seal the vault."

"It was designed to be a bunker," Statten explained as he strode over the computer, "In the event of nuclear war, "Steel bulkheads…"

"There's not enough power," Goddard cut in, addressing the Doctor and Statten glanced over at her with surprise, she'd never spoken over him before, "Those bulkheads are massive."

"We've got emergency power, we can re-route that to the bulkhead doors," the Doctor rebutted.

"We'd have to bypass the security codes," Goddard shook her head, "That would take a computer genius."

"Good thing you've got me, then," Statten declared, drawing the two's attention back to him.

The Doctor arched his brows at the man with surprise, "You want to help?"

"I don't want to die, Doctor. Simple as that," Statten replied, "And nobody knows this software better than me."

"Sir…" Goddard called as the screen that had blacked out earlier flickered back to life, showing the Dalek back on the ground of the basement. The Doctor and Statten shifted, looking around at the screen.

"I shall speak only to the Doctor," the Dalek declared.

The Doctor, his eyes locked on the Dalek, slowly straightened up, "You're gonna get rusty," he commented, the sprinkles still showering it in water.

"I fed off the DNA of Poppy Tyler," it stated as if the Doctor hadn't spoken, "Extrapolating the biomass of a time traveller regenerated me."

The Doctor crossed his arms, "What's your next trick?"

"I have been searching for the Daleks," it replied.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "I saw. Downloading the internet. What did you find?"

"I scanned your satellites and radio telescopes."

"And?" the Doctor prompted, waiting for the Daleks inevitable conclusion.

"Nothing," it stated, it's voice starting to rise, almost sounding scared as it asked, "Where shall I get my orders now?"

"You're just a solider without commands."

"Then I shall follow the primary order," the Dalek declared, "The Dalek instinct to destroy, to conquer."

"What for?" the Doctor huffed with exasperation, "What's the point?" he asked only to get no answer, "Don't you see? It's all gone. Everything you were, everything you stood for."

"Then what should I do?" the Dalek questioned after another beat of silence.

"Alright then," the Doctor murmured with a slow nod, "If you want orders… follow this one – kill yourself."

"The Daleks must survive!" the Dalek refuted adamantly.

"The Daleks have failed!" the Doctor spat angrily, "Why don't you just finish the job and make the Daleks extinct. Rid the universe of your filth. Why don't you just die?" he shouted, staring at the creature with hatred burning in his eyes.

The Dalek was silent, seconds passing as it stared at the Doctor through the monitor, "You would make a good Dalek," it stated before disconnecting the visual feed once more and the Doctor stared, dumbstruck and horrified by the comparison.

He blinked, swallowed heavily and then took a steadying breath and then turned to Statten who was staring at him along with Goddard, "Seal the vault."

Statten nodded and turned back to the computer, "I can leech power off the ground defences, feed it to the bulkheads," he grinned as he moved his fingers swiftly over the keys as the Doctor joined him, working opposite the man, "God," Statten mused, "It's been years since I had to work this fast."

The Doctor frowned and shot the man a withering look, "Are you enjoying this?"

"Doctor," Goddard began a little uncertain about talking to the tense alien at that moment, "Your friends, they're still down there."

The Doctor gritted his teeth. He knew that… he knew that all too well. They were still down there with that thing. He stopped typing for a moment and turned to Goddard as he demanded, "I need a comm."

 ***O*O*O***

"I swear Pop," Rose exclaimed, her lungs starting to burn and her legs aching as the three of them continued to run, now moving up a stairwell, Adam a short distance ahead of the twins, "I'm joining you the next time you're working out," she huffed.

Poppy snorted, "I've heard that before."

"No, but this time I mean it!" Rose insisted, "Come get me when you do."

Poppy glanced at her twin, she'd heard that before too, nonetheless she smiled, "Alright then. Just remember when I come get ya that you asked for it."

A phone rang, "That's you," Rose panted.

"Yeah," Poppy agreed as she dug her phone out of her pocket, barely taking the time to glance at the idea as she jabbed the answer button and swiftly brought it up to her ear as she and Rose continued up the staircase, "Really not a good time."

"Where are you?" the Doctor's voice came over the line, "And is Rose with you?"

"Course she's with me," Poppy replied as she glanced about the stairwell they were in, "And, uh," her gaze landed on a sign, "Level 49."

"You've got to keep moving," the Doctor insisted.

"Wasn't planning on stopping," Poppy assured him.

"The vaults being sealed off up at level 46," the Doctor continued with urgency.

Poppy's steps faltered and Rose frowned pausing with her as she eyed her twin's expression with concern and alarm. Poppy swallowed, "How long do we have…?"

"Not long," the Doctor cut in, his voice heavy with apology as he continued, "I can't wait and I can't help you. Now for God's sake run!"

"Rose…" Poppy turned to her sister, "We need to move, now!" she grabbed her twins hand and started swiftly up the stairs again.

"Why?" Rose panted, her eyes wide as she stared at her twin, "What's happening?" she questioned with alarm. Her eyes widening further as Poppy explained, keeping up a quick pace all the while, her hand tight about Rose's.

Whilst a couple of levels below them, the Dalek continued its pursuit… the murderous alien steadily closing the distance.

 ***O*O*O***

"Done it!" Van Statten exclaimed triumphantly, "We've got power to the bulkheads."

"The Dalek's right behind them," Goddard reported.

The Doctor turned back to the comm he'd been given, "Poppy?" he called into, hearts pounding, hoping that they were through.

"Almost!" came Poppy's reply as she and Rose rounded a corner on level 46 after Adam and the Doctor clenched his jaw, "Just two more seconds… that's all we need."

"I can't sustain the power. The whole systems failing," he replied grimly, glancing over at Van Statten.

"Doctor, you've got to close the bulkheads," the man urged.

The Doctor closed his eyes briefly, hating the decision before him, his hearts sinking heavily in his chest even as he hoped that they'd make it in time whilst fearing that they wouldn't, "I'm sorry," he apologized and hit the enter key.

 ***O*O*O***

A warning alarm blared and the bulkhead started to lower, "Rose, come on!" Poppy urged her sister, looking back at her twin as the blond slowed.

"I…" she swallowed heavily, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at the lowering bulkhead, "I'm getting a stich," Rose panted.

Poppy slowed and doubled back, and shoved her twin ahead of her, getting the blond to put on a burst of speed, "Push through it!"

"Uncalled for, Pop!" Rose huffed grasping heavily at her aching side, but didn't stop, eyes still affixed on the lowering bulkhead.

"So called for," Poppy rebutted.

"Stop talking and come on!" Adam shouted over his shoulder at them a couple of moments before he ducked under the lowering bulkhead to safety.

"Oh my God!" Rose gasped as she got closer, "We're gonna make it, Pop," she smiled, despite the painful stitch in her side.

"Yeah," Poppy nodded, eyeing the lowering bulkhead… it was practically halfway now and getting steadily lower urging her twin on with another insistent shove, "Course we are," she agreed, glad that her twin couldn't see her face as she brought up the rear.

Rose dropped and rolled under the bulkhead as swiftly as she could, before she turned back around expecting to see her twin rolling out after her only for her heart to freeze painfully in her chest as instead she was met with the closing of the bulkhead door… her twin on the other side of it… not having been able to make it out after her, "No!" she leapt up to her feet smacked her hands against the heavy bulkhead door, that was separating her from her twin, "No! No! No!" she shouted with desperation, tears slipping down her cheeks.

 ***O*O*O***

"The vault is sealed," Van Statten informed them letting out a small breath of relief that it was over and he was finally safe.

The Doctor unable to sit anymore leapt to his feet, hearts pounding, "Poppy?"

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy swallowed, her palms stinging a little from where they'd slapped up against the floor as she dropped down to follow Rose, only for the bulkhead door to get to low… and then it had thunked closed.

Trapping her alone with the alien that was bent on killing them all, she let out another shaky breath, trying to steady herself.

"Poppy?" she head the Doctor's voice and she glanced at her phone that had clattered to the floor when she'd dropped to the ground. She let out a shaky breath, limbs trembling with adrenaline and fear as she slowly drew herself to her knees, "Did you make it?" she heard the Doctor continue as she reached for her phone, picking it up, "Did you both make it?" she got to her feet as she brought the phone up her ear.

"Not exactly," Poppy swallowed, "I uh, I got Rose through…" On the other end of the line the Doctor stilled, hearts seizing with dread as Poppy continued, "But, I'm sorry, I didn't… I was, well, a little slow."

Poppy shifted, turning to stare down the corridor as the Dalek glided around the corner, "Look after my sister, yeah?

 ***O*O*O***

On the other side of the sealed bulkhead door, Rose let out a frustrated sound and she jabbed at the hang up button, "Get off the phone, Pop!" she cried, "I need… I need…" she took a ragged breath, tears still sliding down her cheeks.

"Rose…" Adam tried, tentatively reaching out to her, even as the blond hit the call button to try again.

 ***O*O*O***

"If I could ask a favour," Poppy continued to speak into the heavy silence on the other end of the line, her gaze locked on the slowly advancing Dalek, "Don't… don't blame yourself, this isn't on you… and uh, I want to say thanks," she added, tears starting to slip free and roll down her cheeks, "It's been fantastic, you know. Saw things I never even imagined possible for me to see," she swallowed heavily, "And ya know, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," she took another breath more words on the tip of her tongue… words for her sister, for her mum, for Mickey, but the Dalek was getting closer… she was running out of time, "Doctor…?"

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor swallowed heavily into the beat of silence that followed his name, his hearts heavy in his chest as they beat rapidly against his ribcage, "Yeah…?" he managed to speak past the lump in his throat.

"I'm glad I met you," Poppy told him, a tremor to her voice that had the Doctor's hearts clenching painfully, she was scared, alone…

"Exterminate!" he heard that all too familiar horrid metallic voice and he ripped the comm out of his ear as he heard it fire, horror clawing at him as he stared sightlessly ahead of him… he'd… he'd… he swallowed heavily against the pain in his chest.

"I killed her," the Time Lord breathed with horror, devastated… he'd failed her… he'd promised… and he'd failed.

"I'm sorry," Van Statten offered, only to flinch slightly as the Doctor spun to face him, anger darkening the Time Lord's features.

"I said I'd protect her. She was only here because of me, and you're sorry?" he spat glowering at Statten as guilt clawed at him, "I could've killed that Dalek in its cell. But you stopped me!"

"It was the prize of my collection!" Van Statten protested.

"Your collection?" the Doctor spat with contemptuous fury, "But was it worth it? Worth all those men's deaths? Worth Poppy?!" his throat tightened, his gaze flinty as he stared at the American, "Let me tell you something, Van Statten. Mankind goes into space to explore. To be part of something greater."

Van Statten jumped to his feet with enthusiasm, "Exactly!" he exclaimed, "I wanted to touch the stars!"

"You just want to drag the stars down and stick them underground underneath tons of sand and dirt! And label them!" the Doctor snarled, his tone dangerous in his fury at the hateful man, at himself, "You're about as far from the stars as you can get," he sneered, before his face that had been contorted with fury, fell as grief washed over him, "All Poppy wanted to do was see the stars," he swallowed heavily, he shot Statten another withering icy look, "Instead you took her down with you," he looked away from Statten unable to stand looking at the man anymore, his own guilt clawing at his insides heavily… hearts clenching painfully with every beat they took, "She was 19 years old."

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy opened her eyes that she'd squeezed shut when it'd shouted 'Exterminate' and swallowed as she eyed the Dalek that was staring at her, "Not that I mind," she broke the silence, "But uh… why aren't I dead? What's stopping you?"

"Nothing," the Dalek retorted almost sharply, "I am armed, I will kill. It is my purpose."

"Yeah," Poppy swallowed, "Many are dead. Because of you."

"They are dead because of us," the Dalek replied.

Poppy winced, the sting of guilt hitting her again even as she shook her head, "I didn't make you kill those people," she refuted. It stared at her, silent, and she swallowed again, past the lump of fear in her throat, "Now what?" she questioned, "You said nothing's stopping you from killing me. So, what are you waiting for?" she eyed it with disquiet, "If it's an invitation I'm afraid I'm fresh out of those, I'm rather fond of living," she sassed despite the fear churning inside her, a fine tremble in her limbs as she stared at it, hands clenching at her sides, expecting it to fire at any second… to kill her like it had killed everyone else in its path.

"I feel your fear," it stated with agitation, its stalks quivering.

"Yeah, like I said, I'm fond of living and not a second ago you were about to kill me," Poppy swallowed and frowned at it, "What changed?"

The stalks swivelled agitatedly again, "Daleks do not fear," it exclaimed it's voice rising in pitch sounding almost scared, "Must not fear. You gave me life. What else have you given me! I am contaminated!"

Poppy flinched as it fired about her wildly, not moving, barely daring to breath as it did so, each deadly laser beam missing her by inches… whilst her phone still clutched in one of her hands started ringing again as Rose made another desperate attempt to call…

 ***O*O*O***

The lift door dinged open and the Doctor turned his eyes landing on Adam as he stepped out into the office first, "You were quick on your feet, leaving Poppy behind!" he rounded on him as Rose trudged out into the office after him.

"I'm not the one who sealed the vault!" Adam shot back with defensive indigence.

The Doctor gritted his teeth and looked away… he had pushed the button… he'd sealed Poppy in with that nightmare… he as good as killed her himself…

"It's my fault," Rose sniffed, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, arms hugged tightly around her middle.

The Doctor turned to look at her, "Rose, it's not… it's m…"

"She slowed down because of me," Rose cut him off and shook her head as she took a shaky breath as more tears rolled down her cheeks, "It should be me…" she continued just as the screen mounted on the wall flickered to life once more.

"Open the bulkhead," the metallic voice of the Dalek drew the rooms attention, "Or Poppy Tyler dies," it finished as those in Statten's office spun to face the screen to see the ginger with a white streak at the front stood beside the Dalek.

The Doctor's shock quickly morphed into joy and relief as he took a couple of steps towards the monitor… hardly daring to believe that the ginger was still breathing, "You're alive!" he exclaimed, "I thought you were dead."

"Me too for a minute there," Poppy admitted, glancing at the Dalek beside her, before focusing her gaze on the Doctor again and smiled, injecting a bit of cheer into her voice as she added, "Pretty pleased to be alive," and the Time Lord smiled rather pleased she was still alive himself, he hadn't thought it possible… the moment he'd heard 'exterminate' he'd been so certain that the Dalek had killed her.

Rose who'd been staring wide eyed, overwhelmingly relieved herself marched towards the screen, "You weren't answering your phone!" she accused with very little heat, her voice trembling a little as she stared at her twin. Never having thought that she'd see her alive again.

"Ah, sorry, Ro-Ro," Poppy focused on her twin as she came into view, "I was a bit preoccupied…" the hoping that the Dalek wouldn't hit her with its wild firing going unsaid. And Rose let out a sound that was a bit amused, relieved and joyful all at once.

"Open the bulkhead!" the Dalek demanded.

"Don't!" Poppy shouted at him.

Rose tensed, staring at her twin her eyes wide, "Pop…!"

"What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?" the Dalek cut in and Rose blinked and glanced at the Time Lord. Whilst on the screen Poppy glanced at the Dalek, brow minutely furrowed as she wondered just where it had pulled that from.

The Doctor stared at the screen stunned for a long moment, swallowing heavily before he slowly turned to look at Statten… ignoring the stunned looks that were being levelled at him by those in the office with him, "I killed her once," he moved back over to the computer, fingers trembling slightly as he reached for the keyboard, "I can't do it again," he jabbed the return key and the bulkhead slowly began to open.

"What do we do now? You bleeding heart, what the hell do we do?" Van Statten asked panicked as Poppy and the Dalek walked through the open bulkhead.

The Doctor stared at him in silence.

"Kill it when it gets here!" Adam exclaimed into the ensuing silence.

Rose glanced at him, "How?" she questioned, nothing the soldiers had done or used seemed to have had any effect on it at all.

"All the guns are useless," Goddard stated and then shook her head, "And the alien weapons are in the vault."

"Only the catalogued ones," Adam informed them and then shifted a little as Statten turned to stare at him brows raised. He stared back with somewhat sheepish and apologetic eyes.

 ***O*O*O***

"Broken," the Doctor muttered as he tossed an uncatalogued weapon aside, focusing on his goal as he sorted through the basket of uncatalogued weapons ignoring Adam's gaze, "Broken," he tossed another, "Hairdryer," he grumbled.

"Mr. Van Statten tends to dispose of his staff, and when he does he wipes their memory. I kept this stuff in case I needed to fight my way out one day," Adam admitted, breaking his silence.

"What you in a fight?" the Doctor scoffed with derision as he continued to search, "I'd like to see that."

"I could do," Adam insisted mildly offended.

"What're you gonna do, throw you're A-Levels at 'em?" the Doctor scoffed as he pulled out another weapon and looked it over, "Oh, yes. Lock and load," he jumped to his feet and swiftly started for the door.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy stood beside the Dalek in the lift that was steadily rising up the levels, the atmosphere tense between the two of them. Or at least it was for her… she swallowed and glanced at the Dalek, eyeing it's twitching laser arm, "Can I ask… beg really," Poppy broke the silence between them, "Not to kill them. I mean you didn't kill me so you don't have to kill them…" she trailed and ducked back out of the way as its eyestalk swivelled around so fast to face her that it almost hit her.

"But why not?" it exclaimed its tone starting to rise with fear once again, "Why are you alive? My function is to kill. What am I? What am I?"

The lift came to a stop and the doors dinged open, "Don't move!" Poppy exclaimed in warning as her eyes landed on her twin as she stood waiting beside Statten, the blond twitching as if about to lurch towards her, scared that it'd fire, "Don't do anything," she added as she stepped out of the lift as the Dalek glided forward, "It's starting to question itself."

"Van Statten," the Dalek advanced on the man, its laser arm twitching with agitation, whilst Rose shifting throwing her arms about her twin, the ginger returning the gesture, "You tortured me. Why?"

"I wanted to help you," Statten backed away fearfully, "I just… I don't know. I," he swallowed anxiously the twins releasing each other, "I was trying to help. I thought if we could get through to you, if we could mend you… I wanted you better, I'm sorry," Statten apologised fearfully as he was backed up against the wall by the advancing Dalek, its stalks still twitching, "I'm so sorry! I swear, I just wanted you to talk!"

"Then hear me talk now," the Dalek retorted, twitching laser arm aiming at Statten, "Exterminate! Exterminate!" Statten winced, cringing, "Exterminate!"

"No!" Poppy exclaimed rushing over, "Don't! Please, just don't kill him!" she pleaded as the Dalek turned to look at her, "No more death, please! Just…" she took a breath as it continued to stare at her, its eyestalk focused on her face, "There has to be something else… something else that you want aside from killing," the Dalek swivelled its eyestalk to look at Statten that flinched with fear before it turned to look at Poppy again, "What is it?"

A another beat of silence passed, the Dalek uncertain, undecided, before it spoke, eyestalk still fixed on Poppy, "I want freedom."

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor took the stairs two at a time, darting up them as fast as he could with the large alien weapon in his hands.

 ***O*O*O***

"Ok, this is it," Poppy murmured, "Floor 1, a little further and you'll be out…" she trailed as the Dalek came to a stop, turning to it as it aimed its laser arm for the ceiling and fired, creating a hole for the sun to stream through.

"Guess you didn't wanna wait any longer," Poppy murmured lowly, staring at it.

Rose who was beside her twin cleared her throat and offered it a timid smile, "You made it."

"Yeah," Poppy agreed, "For a bit…" she turned her face up to the sunlight, revelling in the feel of it against her skin, "I didn't think I'd ever feel the sunlight again," she admitted and Rose rested her head against her twin's shoulder.

The Dalek eyed the two of them, "How does it feel?" it wondered.

Poppy blinked lowering her face from the sunlight streaming down on the three of them, her eyes turning a little sad, "It's…" she trailed words escaping her as the Dalek's casing started to open, revealing the one eyed mutated creature within. The twins watching with astonishment as it lifted it tentacles up towards the ceiling, basking in the feeling of the sun as it shined down on it.

"Get out of the way!" the Doctor's sudden shout had the twins jumping in surprise, their wide shocked gazes tearing from the Dalek to see the Time Lord marching towards them, a large weapon in his hands aimed towards the alien they were stood in front of, "Poppy, Rose, get out of the way," he ordered only for neither of them to move, "Now!"

"I would," Poppy frowned as she eyed him, "But I'm kinda scared you'll shoot it."

The Doctor pinned her with an incredulous look, "That thing killed hundreds of people."

"It's not the one pointing the gun at us," Rose retorted coldly as she eyed the Time Lord through wide eyes.

"I've got to do this," the Doctor insisted, "I've got to end it. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. I've got nothing left," he said his voice thick with desperation.

"Five minutes ago… I probably would have let you," Poppy admitted, "But it's…" she glanced over her shoulder at the Dalek that was still basking, it's tentacles waving slightly in the sun, "It's not… I mean, look at it," she insisted and shifted out of the way slightly.

The Doctor stared at it, frowning, not comprehending what he was seeing at first, it was too strange, "What's it doing?" he asked his voice strained.

"…Sun bathing," Poppy replied.

"It just wanted the sunlight," Rose nodded, her gaze returning to the Dalek, that had yet to pay any real attention to the Doctor or anything since opening its casing and feeling the sun for the very first time.

"But it can't…" the Doctor trailed, confused, troubled eyes still on it… the Dalek that did indeed appear to be sun bathing right before his eyes.

"It couldn't kill me," Poppy murmured.

"Couldn't kill Statten either," Rose added, "It's changing," she turned her gaze to the Time Lord eyeing him, her voice rising, rather shaken by what she'd seen of him, "What about you Doctor? What the hell are you changing into?"

The Doctor stared at the Dalek that was extending a tentacle towards the sun… he turned his gaze to the gun and practically dropped it as he realized he was still aiming it towards his companions… he swallowed thickly against tears feeling completely lost in the face of what he was witnessing, "I couldn't…" he said haltingly, "I wasn't…" he glanced back over at the Dalek then back at Poppy and Rose, "Oh, Poppy," he swallowed heavily, the tears threatening to well in his eyes pricking hotly at the backs of them, "Rose, they're all dead."

"Why do we survive?" the Dalek suddenly questioned drawing the trios attention back to it.

"I don't know," the Doctor replied honestly.

"I… am the… last of… the Daleks," it proclaimed, it's voice starting to become laboured now.

"You're not even that," the Doctor shook his head, "Poppy did more than regenerate you. You absorbed her DNA. You're mutating."

"Into what?" the Dalek questioned.

"Something new," the Time Lord replied, before swallowing again, eyeing the creature that wasn't a Dalek anymore, "I'm sorry."

"Isn't that better?" Rose frowned confused, anything that made it not want to kill and destroy had to be good, right?

The Doctor shook his head, "Not for a Dalek."

"I can feel so many ideas. So much darkness… Poppy… give me orders! Order me to die," the mutated Dalek plead with its creator, closing its single eye.

Poppy stiffened with surprise, her eyes wide as she stared at the creature, "You're asking me to kill you…"

"Yes."

"I couldn't," Poppy swallowed, "I…"

"This is not life. This is sickness," it declared and Rose's face contorted with disgust and pity, "I shall not be like you. Order my destruction! Obey! Obey! Obey!" the Dalek pleaded, it's voice getting hysteric once more.

Poppy swallowed again, "Ok…" she trailed hesitating, not wanting to in that moment despite all the life the Dalek had taken… it just seemed so pitiable in that moment as it stared at her through it's one eye, "Dalek, I - I order you to die."

The Dalek eyed her, "Are you frightened, Poppy Tyler?"

Poppy nodded slightly, "Yeah."

"So am I," the Dalek admitted, "Exterminate," it called feebly and shut its lone eye.

Poppy and Rose retreated towards the Doctor as the Dalek's casing started to close. The twins reaching the Doctor's side as it started to levitate, the golden knobs of its armour detaching themselves surrounding the Dalek in a sphere. The three time travellers watching as it started to glow as energy built up, creating a force field around itself, before it exploded inside the force field it had created, leaving not a trace of itself behind.

 ***O*O*O***

"What the hell are you doing?!" Statten demanded with a nod from Goddard the guards that had been stood behind him grabbed him by the arms.

"Two hundred personnel dead, and all because of you, sir," she replied, before she turned her attention to the guards, "Take him away," she ordered, "Wipe his memory and leave him by the road someplace."

"You can't do this to me!" Statten protested with angry alarm, glowering at Goddard as he tried to jerk free of the guards grip to no avail, "I am Henry Van Statten!"

"And by tonight, Henry Van Statten will be a homeless, brainless junkie living on the streets of San Diego, Seattle, Sacramento," she turned away with a satisfied smile and spoke over her shoulder as she started away, leaving Statten to gape after her with horror as she did so, "Someplace beginning with 'S'."

 ***O*O*O***

"Little piece of home. Better than nothing," the Doctor murmured as he, Poppy and Rose stood before the Tardis. A hand resting on its familiar wooden disguise.

"Is that the end of it? The Time War?" Rose asked.

"I'm the only one left. I win. How about that," he said, smiling, trying to sound happy, but not really feeling it. The Time War had cost him too much for that.

"Well, if a Dalek survived…" Poppy murmured, drawing his gaze as she continued, "It's possible that some of your people did too, right?"

The Doctor shook his head sadly, "I'd know. In here," he gestured at his head, "Feels like there's no one there."

"Well, you've got me," Poppy offered, "You're pretty much stuck with me," she smiled a bit teasingly, "You'd have to forcibly kick me out to be rid of me."

"And me!" Rose added with an identical smile.

The Doctor grinned at them, "Yeah?"

"Yeah!" the twins replied, returning his grin.

"We'd better get out," Adam called over to the trio drawing their attention to him as he jogged up to meet them, "Van Statten's disappeared… they're closing down the base."

"Good," Poppy huffed.

"About time," Rose nodded.

Rose turned to the Doctor, her eyes a bit hopeful, "Adam was saying that all his life he's wanted to see the stars…" she hinted at him heavily and Poppy stiffened and frowned as she shot her twin a look.

The Doctor grimaced, "Tell him to go and stand outside, then."

"Plenty of stars to be seen outside," Poppy nodded.

"He's all on his own, Doctor," Rose wheedled, "And he did help."

"Rose…" Poppy began warningly as she scowled, not liking the expression on her twins face.

"He left Poppy down there!" the Doctor protested.

"So, did you!" Rose shot back.

"What are you talking about?" Adam cut in, "We've got to leave!"

The Doctor frowned doubtfully at Adam before turning his gaze back to Rose, eyeing her a bit sceptically, "He's a bit pretty."

Rose gave him an innocent look, "I hadn't noticed."

"Sure you haven't," Poppy muttered, her arms folding as she eyed her twin with unhappy scepticism.

"No harm in looking, Pop," Rose smiled as persuasively at her twin as she could manage only to get an annoyed huff from the ginger.

The Doctor glanced between the two of them, before settling on Rose who noticing his gaze back on her, focused her puppy dog eyes on him again. He huffed out a breath and rolled his eyes as he turned away from the blond, "On your own head," he called over his shoulder and Poppy's arms fell to her sides in shock whilst Rose smiled in delight.

The ginger turned to him, "Really?" she whined with annoyance, "You're letting 'Boy Wonder' come?"

The Doctor paused in unlocking the Tardis, "Boy Wonder," he mused, "I like that," he decided and finished unlocking the Tardis door and stepped inside.

"Consider me thrilled," Poppy sassed with irritation, before she sighed heavily, frowning, her heart feeling extremely torn between her love and loyalty to her sister, her twin, and her love and loyalty to her best friend as she stepped in after the Time Lord. Ignoring his gaze as she wandered over to the console, leaning against it moodily with her arms crossed.

"What are you doing? She said 'cement'. She wasn't joking, we're going to get sealed in," Adam informed them as he stared bewildered as Rose followed the other two into the blue box that looked rather small to fit three… let alone four.

"Doctor?" he asked now sounding concerned for their sanity as he approached the door, "What're you doing standing inside a box?" he paused, "Rose?... Uh, Poppy?" he called next when no answer was forth coming… he peered inside and gaped as he stepped over the threshold and into the blue box… that wasn't a blue box.


	7. Chapter 7 The Long Game

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just my o/c Poppy.

 **A/N:** My gosh, it's been a long time! I'm really sorry about how long it's taken me to update. I've had real life issues getting in my way and then writers block wasn't helping either, but I've finally got a chapter out for your viewing pleasure.

Thank you to everyone who read, favourited and reviewed the previous chapter and also for everyone's patience in waiting for this chapter to come out. Also, a huge thank you to **Maethoriel Artemis** for prereading for me and giving me feedback.

I'll get to replying to reviews soon, it'd just been so long since the previous chapter I wasn't even sure anyone would remember what they'd said or what I was referring to.

Not sure what I'll be working on next, but it'll either be Lost Girl Chronicles or attempting to do the second half of Tooth & Claw for Ivy.

 **CHAPTER 7**

 **The Long Game**

Poppy stood in her bedroom in the Tardis. Her eyes focused on her reflection as she slid the last bobby pin into place, firmly affixing her signature poof into her hair, the length swept up into a ponytail.

She swept her gaze over her reflection and nodded, satisfied with her appearance. She turned and grabbed the jacket she'd set aside to go with her chosen outfit. She slid the white jacket over her black shirt and did up the zip as she started for her bedroom door. Opening her door at the same moment the door directly across from hers opened and her twin stepped out into the Tardis corridor.

The pair paused, hesitating for a brief moment, eyeing each other a bit unsure, before their eyes slowly narrowed. A playful light entering their eyes and their muscles tensed in preparation as over a decade's worth of tradition took hold. Then, in the next moment the two where dashing down the corridor, feet pounding against the floor as they raced towards their destination. Each trying to outstrip the other.

 ***O*O*O***

In the console room, the Doctor paused in what he was doing as he heard the sound of feet thundering towards him. The familiar voices of his companions filling the air as they drew closer and closer to the console room.

"Oi!" he heard Poppy exclaimed laughter in her voice, "That's cheating!"

"Is not!" came Rose's teasing response.

"Is so!" he heard Poppy retort followed by the sound of what he thought was a playful scuffle followed by an indigent shriek.

He shook his head in bemusement as the thundering footsteps continued, closer than before and in the next moment Poppy came barrelling down the steps into the console room.

"Uh, not fair!" Rose cried as she barrelled down that stairs after her twin a moment later, breathing heavily.

The Doctor shook his head at them, "Elephants. The both of you," he huffed with a bit of a smile, glad to see the two getting along after the tension that had been between them since they'd all reboarded the Tardis.

Poppy stuck her tongue out at him in response whilst Rose rolled her eyes as she leaned against the console as she caught her breath.

"How do you keep beating me, Pop," Rose whined.

Poppy shrugged and shot her twin a smirk, "Maybe you should have joined me in my workout like you said you were going to."

Rose grimaced at the very thought, "I had to show Adam around the Tardis," she tried to wave it off, flapping a dismissive hand at her sister. Whose light hearted expression fell at the mention of the bloke her sister had been making eyes at.

"Right," Poppy scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Had to."

"Speaking of Boy Wonder," the Doctor cut in, his gaze going from Rose to Poppy and back again questioningly, "Where is he? He's holding up the show."

Rose grinned brightly and straightened up from the console, "I'll get him!" she offered with a beaming grin and started swiftly for the stairs, before suddenly whirling back around to face the Doctor, pointing a finger at him, "Don't forget your promise!"

"I won't!" he rolled his eyes at Rose's back as she immediately spun back to the stairs and darted up them, grinning from ear to ear with excitement.

Whilst the Doctor's blue gaze drifted to Poppy who'd crossed her arms, as she frowned moodily after her sister. Her earlier good mood all but forgotten.

Poppy, as if feeling his gaze, turned her eyes from the empty staircase to focus her gaze on the Doctor, frown still darkening her brow, "What promise?" she demanded, wondering just what she'd missed whilst she'd been doing her routine workout. Her eyes narrowed on him as he glanced away from her, tugging at his ear.

 ***O*O*O***

The Tardis wheezed at it materialised at its destination and not a moment later the Doctor stepped out, followed by Poppy and Rose. The ginger glancing about the interior of the place they'd landed in with open curiosity. Whilst Rose turned her gaze to look expectantly at the Time Lord, waiting anxiously for him to keep his promise.

"So," he began as he glanced at the blond, "It's the year 200 000, it's a spaceship…" he trailed frowning minutely, "No wait a minute, space station," he corrected as Poppy turned her gaze from the space station to look at him, "And uh… go and try that gate over there," he nodded at the afore mentioned gate, "Off you go!' he urged as he leaned back against the Tardis, whilst Poppy leaned against the railing opposite him, frowning as she eyed her twin with renewed irritation.

"200 000?" Rose checked; it would hardly be impressive if she got it wrong.

"200 000," the Doctor confirmed.

"Kay," Rose grinned, before she turned to the Tardis and pulled one of the doors open, "Adam?" she called and Poppy turned her gaze from her, staring instead at the gate the Doctor had gestured at during his explanation, "Out you come!"

Adam stepped out of the Tardis, gaping as he stared at the strange new surroundings… that was like nothing he'd ever seen before… they'd actually travelled in time and through space, "Oh my God!" he breathed.

Rose grinned at him, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it," she assured.

"Where are we?" Adam asked, his mouth still agape as he continued to stare.

"Good question. Let's see. So, um… judging by the architecture, I'd say we're around the year 200 000," Rose explained with a knowledgeable air, ignoring the feeling of Poppy's eyes trying to bore a hole through her as she continued, warming up to her spiel, happy to have Adam's attention rivetted on her, even as he mumbled something that she couldn't hear, "If you listen… engines."

The Doctor smiled at Rose, before his gaze shifted to Poppy, taking in her darkening mood as she glared at her twin, his smile fading as he tugged awkwardly at his ear. Wondering not for the first time if he'd made a mistake in allowing Adam on board.

"We're on some sort of space station. Yeah," Rose nodded to herself, "Definitely a space station," she let out a breath at the temperature, "It's a bit warm in here, they could turn the heating down…" she commented offhandedly before she shot Adam a grin, "Tell you what, let's try that gate. Come on!"

Poppy narrowed her eyes at Rose as the blond started away, leading the still boggling Adam towards the gate. Her hands tightening about her arms, before her attention was drawn to the Doctor as he nudged her.

"Come on," he poked her forehead and smiled, "Lighten up, Gloomy-Gup."

"I'm not gloomy," Poppy muttered, staring at him flatly, supressing the smile that wanted to quirk up her lips in response to his smile, "I'm annoyed," she huffed, feeling rather like she was understating just what she was going through as she watched her sister shamelessly flirt with a bloke not her boyfriend. Still, her lips twitched upwards into a smile that had his own turning into a pleased grin.

"Come on," he urged, starting off after Rose and Adam at a quick clip, "They're going ahead without us and you won't wanna miss this."

Poppy glanced at him intrigued, "Why? What's beyond the gate?" she asked only for the Doctor to remain silent. She quickened her steps curious to see what was beyond the gate now. And the Doctor found himself smiling again, rather pleased with himself as he allowed her to pull him into a jog so that they could catch up to Rose and Adam.

The two caught up with Rose and Adam as the blond led them through the metal gate, "Here we go!" Rose exclaimed cheerily as she led the way onto the observation deck, "And this is…" she trailed as her gaze went the massive viewing window and the sight beyond, "I'll let the Doctor describe it," she murmured her gaze rivetted on the view the massive window gave of the Earth as the Doctor and Poppy came up beside her.

The Doctor smiled at his companions, before he joined them in focusing his gaze on the Earth, "The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire," he began his explanation, "And there it is. Planet Earth at its height. Covered in mega-cities, five moons – population 96 billion. The hub of a galactic domain, stretching across a million planets, a million species – with mankind right in the middle."

Poppy swallowed, her awed gaze still focused on the Earth as she took in what he'd just described, "It sounds amazing," she turned her gaze from the planet she called home to turn hopeful eyes on the Doctor, "Could we pop down there later?"

"Sure, if you'd like," the Doctor effected a shrug even as he grinned at the enthusiasm on Poppy's face. He much preferred that to the grimness of earlier.

Behind them, Adam let out a girlish sigh as he fainted dead away and collapsed into a heap on the floor.

The Doctor rolled his eyes in exasperation, "He's your boyfriend," he told Rose without bothering to look back at the collapsed form of Adam.

"Not anymore," Rose muttered with disappointment, not bothering to look away from the awe-inspiring view of the Earth.

Poppy who'd been smirking a bit in amusement at Adam's reaction, bristled and shot her twin a withering look, "Funny," she murmured coolly, turning from the window as Rose's gaze snapped to her, "Boy Wonder doesn't look like Mickey," she stated before she stalked away from the window venturing across the observation deck.

"Pop!" Rose called her eyes wide as she hurried to follow after her angry twin, "I didn't mean it like that. Pop!"

The Doctor sighed, tugging at his ear as he looked after the twins, before he looked down at the unconscious Adam, brow furrowing a bit annoyed, "Guess I'm on clean-up duty," he huffed, bending down to slap at Adam's cheeks in an attempt to rouse him.

 ***O*O*O***

"Come on, Adam. Open your mind," the Doctor said cheerily a bit later, an arm draped over the boy's shoulders so that he could help steer the still somewhat shaken boy along. Rose and Poppy walking on either side of him.

Rose staring at her feet, her lower lip caught between her teeth, worrying the flesh unhappily and a frown furrowing her brow.

Whilst Poppy had her arms crossed over her chest. Her hands rhythmically clenching and unclenching over her arms as she sought calm – she was overreacting to her sister and she knew it, but the whole issue had her tightly wound. Just imagining Mickey's face if he found out and how she could talk to him and not divulge what she knew – but then if she did, she'd hurt her sister. Her twin and even just imagining the hurt and betrayed look her sister would level on her if she did tell - she swallowed heavily and turned her gaze to the Doctor, focusing on what he was saying instead of the thoughts that were making her stomach clench into painful knots. Painstakingly avoiding looking at her twin as she did so.

"You're gonna like this, fantastic period of history," the Doctor continued, arm squeezing about the still pale and slightly shaken Adam's shoulders, "The human race at its most intelligent – culture, art, politics. This era has got fine food, good manners…"

"Out of the way!" A man rudely shouted as he bustled passed the four of them.

The four glanced around as the floor suddenly bustled to life with people pushing past each other as food stations opened up. Poppy snorted, her brows arching as she turned her gaze from the pushing and shoving crowd to the Doctor, "Seems like the same old human manners and fast food that we've got back home to me."

The Doctor shook his head as he glanced around the bustling floor bemusedly, "No its not. It's," he started to insist only for their attention to be grabbed by one of the food venders they were stood in the midst of.

"Thank you very much indeed," the Chef nodded to one of the people in front of his rather crowded stall, "Somebody there? That's great. What do you want, love? All right, keep moving," he spoke in quick succession as he worked behind the counter, "I'll be with you lot in a minute. Here you are. One at a time," he scolded another potential patron, "What now, what was it? Kronkburger with cheese, Kronkburger with pajatos. Do you want a drink? Oi, you mate," he pointed a spatula at a spikey haired man as the Doctor stared rather bemused at what he was witnessing, "Stop pushing. Get back. I said, back."

"Yep," Poppy nodded as she eyed the hungry impatient crowd with a quirked brow, "Definitely feels like I'm back home."

"Yeah," Rose nodded her agreement, "And Kronkburger?" she turned her gaze to the bemused Time Lord, "Hardly smacks of fine cuisine, does it?"

"Sounds like the year 200 000's version of the 'Big Mac'," Poppy mused and Rose found herself nodding, glancing at her twin for the first time since their disagreement on the observation deck and felt relief at the small smile the ginger shot her as their eyes met. The earlier tension seemingly forgotten, at least for now.

Whilst from his spot stood between the Tyler twins, the Doctor frowned, "My watch must be wrong," he muttered and checked his watch with confusion, "No, it's fine…" he glanced about the floor again, "Weird."

"That's what comes of showing off," Rose grinned teasingly, "Your histories not as good as you thought it was."

"My history's perfect," the Doctor insisted.

"Hmm," Poppy hummed softly as she pinned the Doctor with a pointed but teasing look, "Like your driving skills."

The Time Lord grinned at her, "Exactly!"

Poppy levelled another look at him, her brows quirking upwards in mild amusement, "That was sarcasm."

"Obviously," Rose nodded.

"Oi!" the Doctor protested indignantly, mock glowering at the two of them for their cheek only for Poppy to grin up at him teasingly, her tongue poking out from between her teeth. A matching grin on her twin's face.

"They're all human," Adam broke his silence as he looked about the floor they were on. Feeling a bit steadier on his feet now that a lot of the overwhelming shock had worn off, "What about the millions of planets? The millions of species?" he turned his gaze to the Doctor with a confused expression, "Where are they?"

"Good question," the Doctor blinked, "Actually, that _is_ a good question," he said as he turned to look at Adam. The Time Lord mildly surprised that Boy Wonder had said something useful. He threw his arm jovially back around the younger man's shoulders and grinned, "Adam me' old mate, you must be starving."

Adam shook his head, starting to feel a bit sick again at even the thought of trying to eat at the moment, "No, I'm just a bit time sick."

"Nah, you just need a bit of grub," the Time Lord insisted, before he turned to the food stall's busy chef, "Oi, mate!" he called before Adam could do more than open his mouth to continue protesting his need for food, "How much is a Kronkburger?"

"Two credits twenty, sweetheart" the chef called over the sound of his noisy patrons, "Now, join, the queue."

"Money," the Doctor muttered as he patted at his pockets in search of something they could use as coin, "We need money," giving up on his pockets he glanced around again, before he started across the floor. Poppy, Rose and Adam following him over to a machine as an announcement came over the speakers.

"Attention all staff," Poppy glanced up with a curious blink as the announcement continued, "All coverage of the Glasgow water riots being transferred five through nine."

The Doctor palmed his sonic screwdriver as they came to a stop, "Have to use a cashpoint," he informed them. Poppy turned her gaze to what he was doing as he aimed his sonic at the machine and pushed a button and with a single buzz of his sonic, a light on the machine flashed and a thin rectangular metal strip fell out and into the Doctor's waiting hand. He turned back to Adam and handed it to him with a bit of a grin, "There you go – pocket money. Don't spend it all on sweets," he warned cheerily.

"How does it work?" Adam asked as the Doctor turned away from him.

The Doctor turned back to him, "Go and find out! Stop nagging me! The thing is, Adam, time travel's like visiting Paris. You can't just read the guide book, you've got to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers."

Poppy and Rose laughed whilst Adam merely continued to stare at the Time Lord with an unimpressed frown.

"…Or is that just me?" the Doctor grinned resisting the urge to roll his eyes as Adam continued to frown at him, "Stop asking questions, go on, do it!" he said with a shooing motion and Adam turned and walked into the crowd, "Off you go then! Your first date."

Poppy's smile fell away and she frowned at the Time Lord, whilst Rose pointed a warning finger at him, "You're gonna get a smack, you are," she huffed and turned, starting after Adam as the Doctor grinned at her.

The Doctor's smile slipped away as his gaze turned to Poppy who hadn't moved, but was glowering after Rose, who'd disappeared into the crowd. Her arms crossed and hands clenched, "You not going with them, then?"

Poppy shook her head, "It's not my job to police my sister," she huffed her scowl darkening, "And I shouldn't have too," she grimaced and she couldn't watch her sister flirt with the Boy Wonder anymore. Even as guilt churned in her stomach, making her want to chase after her sister and keep her in line – but that wasn't her job.

"No, it's not," the Doctor agreed, eyeing the conflicted ginger.

Poppy glanced at him, eyes narrowed on him and a wry smile quirking her lips, "I do wish you wouldn't encourage her though."

"Who says I'm encouraging her?" the Doctor asked, brows arching at her as Poppy gave him a narrowed eyed look, "I'm merely giving her the chance to see how much of an idiot Boy Wonder is for herself."

Poppy blinked in surprise, her mouth slightly agape as she stared at him, "I – I kinda want to hug you right about now."

"Don't hesitate on my account," the Doctor grinned at her, "I love hugs," he held out his arms and Poppy grinned.

"Well, if you insist," she stepped towards him and wrapped her arms about him and squeezing as she felt his arms wrap around her and she swallowed as she felt her heart give a tell-tale faster beat and her cheeks flushed slightly, the sound of his hearts beating loud in her ear. She bit her lower lip and forced herself to step out of his embrace before it could turn awkward. A faint colour still in her cheeks. She fought the urge to shift her feet, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable in her own skin as her stomach flipped and flopped, butterflies fluttering madly, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

"So, did you want to come with me or wander about on your own?" the Doctor asked, "I can get you some pocket money too?" he added, slipping his sonic back out of his pocket.

"Well, that depends," Poppy mused, cheeky grin curving up her lips the uncomfortable feeling settling as the feeling of heat left her cheeks and her stomach settled, "What are you gonna be doing?"

The Doctor grinned, "Finding out what's throwing off my history."

"Ooh," Poppy's tongue poked out from between her teeth as she grinned, "How could I pass up the solving of a mystery."

"Fantastic!" the Doctor beamed and offered her his arm. Poppy beamed a wider grin as she took his arm, her hand resting in the crook of his elbow as he led them across the floor, "Now, let's see…" he glanced around, pausing as his gaze landed on a pair of smartly dressed young women as they wandered towards them as they conversed.

The Time Lord changed direction, heading over to the pair of amicably chatting women, "Erm…" he began drawing the pairs attention to them, "This is going to sound daft, but can you tell us where we are?"

The woman in a business suit jacket sent them a slightly odd look, before she gestured impatiently at a sign on the wall, "Floor 139… could they write it any bigger?"

Poppy blinked at the large sign, brows rising as she took it in before glancing at the Doctor, "Oh, kinda obvious when it's pointed out, isn't it?"

"Just a bit," the Doctor nodded, shooting her a quick grin, "But more importantly," he turned his attention back to the two women in front of them, "Floor 139 of what?"

The woman in the smart suit jacket continued to eye them critically, "Must've been a hell of a party."

"Oh, you don't even know the half of it," Poppy huffed, "Only just got rid of a major headache. Well, temporarily," she grimaced a bit as her mind drifted to her twin and the boy wonder she was hanging out with.

The Doctor lips twitched into a small smirk as he suppressed a snigger.

"Oh, you're on Satellite Five," the other woman said with a kind smile, that was part amused and part sympathetic.

Poppy blinked, "Satellite Five?"

"What's Satellite Five?" the Doctor asked and Poppy glanced at him a little surprised. She'd assumed he already knew where they were – he'd flown them here after all.

"Come on," the first woman huffed with irritation, her already wanning patience thinning further at the increasingly nonsensical line of questioning from the pair that had stopped them. "How could you get on board without knowing where you are?"

"Skill," Poppy shrugged earning a glare from the first woman and a wider amused smile from the second.

"Look at us," the Doctor grinned at the pair, "We're stupid."

" _Skilled,_ " Poppy stressed and the Doctor shrugged at her, a teasing smile in place.

"Stupid alright," the first woman muttered irritably, glancing at a clock – time was wasting and she had things to do.

"Hang on," the woman in the colourful shirt exclaimed as a possible realisation hit, "Wait a minute, are you two a test?" she asked as she eyed the duo in front of her, "Some sort of management test kind of thing?"

"You've got us. Well done," the Doctor said, happily going along with the readymade excuse that had been handed to them as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his physic paper and flashed it at the pair, "You're too clever for us."

"We were warned about this in basic training," the woman in the colourful shirt reminded the woman beside her who was eyeing the man and woman with new eyes, irritation and impatience forgotten, "All workers have to be versed in company promotion."

The woman in the brown suit jacket nodded, determination in her gaze as she eyed the two members of Management, "Right. Fire away, ask your questions. If it gets me to Floor 500, I'll do anything."

Poppy blinked, brows raised at the change in woman's demeanour, not a hint of unpleasantness left in her tone or face, "Must be some Floor."

The woman nodded, "The best."

"Why what happens on Floor 500?" the Doctor asked, his own brows raised in question.

"The walls are made of gold," the woman stated, before smiling at the two of them teasingly, "And you should know… Mr and Mrs Management… so," she turned smartly, "This is what we do," she stated as she started over to a wall with monitors.

The woman in the colourful shirt offered them a small nervous smile as the three of them followed the determined woman over to the monitors.

"Latest news…" the woman continued her spiel as the four of them came to a stop in front of the monitors, "Sandstorms on the new Venus archipelago. Two hundred dead. Glasgow water riots into their third day… space lane 37 closed by sunspot activity. And over on the Bad Wolf channel, the Face of Boe has just announced he's pregnant."

Poppy blinked, her eyes darting to the channel in question as she recognised the names, eyes landing on the familiar face of the Face of Boe and a small smile quirked her lips.

"I get it," the Doctor nodded, smiling in understanding, "You broadcast the news."

The woman smirked, rather smug, "We are the news. We're the journalists. We write it package it and sell it."

 ***O*O*O***

On the highest level of the satellite a pale man stood in the dank oppressive space, his eyes on a monitor as a camera on Floor 139 followed a group of four. His expression thoughtful as he stared at them, listening as one of the three women spoke, "Six hundred channels all coming out of Satellite Five, broadcasting everywhere."

"Something… is wrong," he decided, "Something fictional," he bent over a man that had ice collating on his body as he sat at one of the computers and pointed at the monitor that was showing live footage of the four, "Those people."

"Nothing happens in the whole of the human empire without it going through us," the same woman boasted knowledgably as she addressed the other three the pale man could see on the monitor that had so caught his attention.

"Security check. Go deep," he ordered his underling, his gaze still fixed on the screen, an excited gleam entering his eyes at the prospect of uncovering the fiction he'd discovered.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose made her way back through the crowded canteen, heading towards the table she'd left Adam as an announcement came over the tannoy, "All staff are reminded that the canteen area now operates a self-cleaning table system. Thank you!"

"Try this," Rose urged Adam as she came to a stop at their table, "It's called Zaphic. It's nice. It's like a, um, slush puppy."

Adam eyed it, "What flavour?"

"Um…" Rose blinked and then took a suck at the straw to taste it, "Sort of beef?" she attempted to describe.

"Oh my God…" Adam exclaimed and Rose couldn't help but laugh. Adam shook his head as Rose took a seat across from him, "It's like everything's gone. Home, family, everything."

Rose eyed him with concern, before she reached into her pocket and took her phone out of her pocket, "This helps…" she assured, "The Doctor gave it a bit of a top-up. Who's back home, your mum and dad?"

"Yeah," Adam nodded.

"Phone 'em up," Rose murmured as she offered him her phone.

"But," Adam frowned with a mixture of scepticism and confusion, "That's one hundred and ninety-eight thousand years ago."

"Honestly, try it," Rose urged with a bit of a smile, "Go on!"

Adam grasped her phone slipping it from her grasp and hesitated as he looked from the phone to her, "Is there a code for planet Earth?"

Rose grinned, "Just dial!"

Adam gave his head a small shake, but dialled none the less, his eyes widened as he heard the phone actually ring.

"I'm sorry we're not in," his mum's answering machine picked up after a moment.

Adam's eyes widened further, "It's on!" he exclaimed and Rose grinned at him, soaking in his excited reaction.

"Please leave a message," the answering machine continued, "Thanks. Bye."

"It's er…" Adam began after the tone had sounded, "Hi," he tried again, "It's… it's me. I've sort of gone… travelling. I met these people… and we've gone travelling together. But, um… I'm fine… and I'll call you later. Love you. Bye."

He hung up, his eyes alight with his excitement at something so impossible being possible – he'd just called the past! "That is so…"

An alarm suddenly blared and Rose and Adam looked around a bit lost on what to do as everyone around them grabbed their things and started to leave, whilst all the vendors started to close up their shops.

"Oi!" Rose heard a familiar male voice holler and she beamed a grin as she started to turn towards it, "Mutt and Jeff! Over here!" her gaze landed on the Time Lord and her twin. She got up without a backwards glance and started over towards them.

Behind her, Adam hesitated staring at the blonde's phone for a moment, before he pocketed it and followed Rose over to the Doctor and Poppy.

"Want some?" Rose offered her cup to her twin, with a hopeful winning smile. She hated it when there was tension between them.

Poppy eyed it and then glanced at her twin, eyes narrowed suspiciously, wary of a sisterly prank from the blond, "Do I wanna?"

"It's good," Rose assured with a wider sincere grin.

Poppy eyed her, hesitating a moment longer, before she sighed in something akin to resignation, almost certain she'd regret it, but accepted the extended cup. She sucked on the straw and then blinked, "Uh…" she hesitated not sure of her thoughts. She took another sip, "Not bad…" she decided and sucked on the straw again, before handing the cup back to her twin.

"Told ya!" Rose grinned and sucked on the straw again herself as Adam came up beside them. He glanced at Rose as he came to a stop beside her, highly aware of the fact that he'd pocketed her phone – wondering if she'd remember he had it, before he grimaced a little at the cold look Poppy shot him and he attempted to smile at her. Honestly wondering just what he'd done to get on the ginger's bad side.

 ***O*O*O***

"Security check cleared," the computer announced as it finished running through its scan.

The pale man scowled at it, "No, something's wrong," he insisted, "I can taste it. Tiny little shift in the information. Someone down there shouldn't be here," he said as he stared at the live feed on the monitor that showed the group that had grown by two to make six now, "Double check. Triple check. Follow them," he ordered as the group began to move, determined to find the discrepancy – the blip in the data flow.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy grimaced and blew out a breath as she felt a bead of sweat run down her spine as she stood with the Doctor, Rose and Adam. The four of them watching from the sidelines as seven people wandered into the newsroom. She adjusted her ponytail, before she gave into the urge to unzip her jacket at the persistent warmth of the space station, "Oh, that's better," she murmured with relief, her gaze focused on the people in the room as six of them got themselves situated at their stations on the octagonal platform, whilst the woman in the smart suit jacket stood in the middle waiting with impatience for her team to settle so that she could begin.

A short moment later, Poppy was rolling her eyes as she heard the sound of another zipper being pulled down followed by Rose letting out a breath of relief. Her sister was such a copycat sometimes.

"Now. Everybody behave. We have a management inspection," the woman addressed her team before she turned to look at the members of management that were watching them today, "How do you want it? By the book?"

"Oh, right from scratch, thanks," the Doctor replied and got a serious nod from the woman, before she turned back to her team, missing the amused smirk the Time Lord shared with his companions whilst her back was turned.

"Ok. So, ladies, gentlemen, multi-sex, undecided or robot, my name is Cathica Santini Kadainy. That's Cathica with a 'C', in case you want to write to Floor 500 praising me," she shot the four a quick look and a smile, "And please… do…"

The Doctor gave the driven woman a bland smile and noncommittal nod of acknowledgement whilst Rose raised her brows a little incredulously, whilst Poppy shot the woman a little smile of acknowledgement of her own.

"Now, please feel free to ask any questions," Cathica added before carrying on with her spiel, "The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and be non-biased. That's company policy," she recited and turned to face the members of management again, trying to judge their reactions and smiled rather brightly at receiving another nod.

"Actually… it's the law," the woman that'd been chatting with Cathica earlier corrected with a cheery smile.

"Yes," Cathica bit out with barely restrained irritation as she shot the woman a dirty look for making her look even a little bad in front of the management, "Thank you, Suki," and the smile slid right off Suki's face.

Cathica took a calming breath, "Okay, keep it calm," she ordered the room, switching back to her professional persona, irritation leaving her as she moved to settle herself comfortably in the large padded chair, "Don't show off for the guests… here we go," she shifted back, settling herself completely, "And… engage safety…" she ordered and as one the staff seated around the octagonal platform moved their hands over the pads in front of them.

Cathica clicked her fingers and Poppy's eyes widened and she sucked in a soft alarmed breath as a door opened in her forehead, revealing a small portion of her brain. An alarm her sister shared, whilst Adam leaned forward trying to get a better look as he stared intensely. The ginger glanced at the Doctor, "What's happening?" she whispered, catching the mildly disgusted look on the Time Lord's face.

"And 3…" Cathica called before the Doctor could answer, drawing Poppy's wide gaze back to her, "2… and spike."

"Oh my God!" Poppy breathed with alarm, eyes wider than before as a blue beam of light beamed down from the contraption that had been installed over the large padded chair and spiked into her brain through the open door.

"Compressed information, streaming into her," the Doctor answered Poppy's question, drawing the Tyler twins gaze from what was happening, "Reports from every city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head," he continued, his gaze locked on Cathica, "She becomes part of the software. Her brain is the computer."

"If it all goes through her," Rose murmured, more awed than alarmed now as she stared, "She must be a genius."

"Nah," the Doctor denied, "She wouldn't remember any of it. There's too much, her head would blow up," he explained as he began to walk around the side of the room.

Poppy choked on her saliva as she breathed wrong at that as she moved to follow him. Rose immediately hitting her back as the blond trailed after her twin.

"The brain's the processor," the Doctor continued as Poppy's breathing evened out and the ginger knocked her sister's slapping hand away, "As soon as it closes, she forgets – stops her brain from exploding," he explained.

"Glad to know they've got safety measures in place," Poppy muttered.

"Nothing to do with Satellite Five," the Time Lord informed her over his shoulder, "It's all the brain protecting itself from human stupidity."

Poppy eyed him with a frown, "Now, I'm trying to decide whether or not to feel insulted," she huffed.

"I'm kinda leaning towards insulted," Rose commented, eyeing the Time Lord's back herself.

"Not my fault that for such a bright bunch, you lot are awfully stupid," the Doctor commented offhandedly.

"Insulted, definitely," Poppy huffed, her arms crossing over her chest.

"Yep," Rose nodded.

' _Then again,'_ Poppy thought with a grimace as she eyed Cathica dubiously as the beam of light continued to spike into her brain, _'We have people willing letting brain exploding energy beams hit their brains…'_

"So," Rose began as she swept her gaze around the octagonal platform, "All those people round the edge?"

"They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her, and they transmit 600 channels. Every single fact in the Empire beams out of this place," the Doctor explained as he slowly finished his circuit. Poppy and Rose a step behind him. They came to a stop next to Adam who was barely aware that they'd moved as they re-joined him in leaning against the railing, "Now, that's what I call power."

 ***O*O*O***

"Analysis confirmed," the computer on Floor 500 announced, "Security breech."

"I knew it!" the pale man declared with cruel glee, "Which one?" he questioned as he eyed the monitor that had followed the group of four into the spike room on Floor 139, "It's someone inside that room, which one?" he muttered, watching as the camera focused on each person in the spike room individually.

"Isolating breech."

"Come on, show me. Who is it?" he murmured impatient in his gleeful excitement, watching with interest as the camera focused on a ginger, a man in a short-sleeved shirt, a blond, and a man in a leather coat…

 ***O*O*O***

"You alright?" Rose asked Adam, mildly concerned about how quiet he was being as he stared almost unblinking at the energy entering Cathica's brain.

"I can see her brain," Adam murmured, his gaze locked on Cathica.

Poppy glanced over at him; a bit concerned for him despite herself.

Rose gently touched his arm, "Do you want to get out?" she offered, only a little reluctantly as she glanced back over at Cathica briefly.

"No… no," Adam denied with a shake of his head, "This technology, it's… it's amazing," he breathed with awe.

Poppy shot him an incredulous look, "Did you miss the part about the brain exploding thing?"

"Didn't miss the part where she's fine either," Adam retorted, still not bothering to tear his gaze from Cathica.

"This technology's wrong," the Doctor muttered, frowning at the technology.

Poppy turned to him, brow slightly furrowed, "How wrong?"

"Very wrong," the Doctor replied and Poppy gave a small nod that clearly said, 'Of course it is' as she glanced back at Cathica.

"Oh," Rose smiled, drawing her sisters gaze back to her "I sense trouble."

"You're not the only one," Poppy muttered, "Trouble with a capital 'T'."

The Doctor glanced at them, a smile quirking up his lips, paying no mind to Adam who'd turned his attention back to Cathica, more interested in the technology before him than anything the Time Lord had to say, "Oh, yeah."

A small almost unnoticeable shudder ran through the system and Suki twitched involuntarily in response.

 ***O*O*O***

"That's it!" the pale man exclaimed, pointing at the monitor as he laughed in triumph, "Yes! She's the liar," he crowed as he stared at the young woman that was now the focus of the camera's live feed, "Intercept and scan," he grinned, "Gotcha."

 ***O*O*O***

Suki gasped as a small shock zinged through her, surprising her enough to lift her hands away from the pad, disrupting the stream of energy, forcing the others seated around the platform to lift their hands away.

The door in Cathica's forehead closed and she sat up annoyed as she pinned Suki with an irritated glare almost convinced that the other woman was trying to sabotage her chances now, "Come off it, Suki, I wasn't even halfway, what was that for?" she asked as she eyed the cheery woman suspiciously.

Suki shrugged confused herself as she rubbed her hands as the feel of the shock lingered over her palms, "Sorry, must have been a glitch…" she apologized.

"Oh," Cathica huffed under her breath as she swung herself up and out of the chair and back onto her feet.

 ***O*O*O***

"Her information's been tampered with," the pale man muttered as he stared at Suki's image on the monitor intently, "There's a second biography hidden underneath," a roar from above him, had him wincing a little, before he spun around and turned his gaze up to the ceiling, "Yes, sir?" there was another roar, "Absolutely, sir," he quickly agreed, "Yeah, well – her data was encrypted so there was no way we could've found her sooner," he explained only to wince again as this time the roar he received was angry, "Yeah, I… sorry, sir," he gave the ceiling a thumbs up, "Absolutely," he agreed before he turned to a woman that was sitting at another computer, "Get her up here," he demanded urgently, "Now."

 ***O*O*O***

"Promotion," a voice over the tannoy suddenly announced and immediately a wall lit up with a projection.

Cathica squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her hands together as she began to pray as hard as she could, "This is it. Come on. God, make it me. Come on, say my name," she breathed completely oblivious to the mildly concerned looks she was receiving from the 'managerial' guests she'd been trying to show off to, "Say my name, say my name…" she chanted before opening her eyes, waiting with baited breath.

"Promotion for…" the amplified voice over the tannoy trailed and Cathica shifted anixiously, teeth abusing her lower lip as she waited, "Suki Macrae Cantrell," the voice announced. The name flashing brightly across the projection on the wall.

Cathica's face crumpled with disappointed disbelief, whilst Suki's mouth dropped open in stunned shock and excitement.

"Please proceed to Floor 500."

Suki stood her eyes still glued to the projection that was displaying her name, "I don't believe it… Floor 500…" she breathed awed.

"How the hell did you manage that?" Cathica demanded to know upset and incredulous that she'd been passed over _again_ , "I'm above you!"

"I don't know, I just applied on the off-chance… and they've said yes!" Suki exclaimed happily, ignoring the glare Cathica was levelling on her.

"That's so not fair," Cathica whined as she crossed her arms over her chest, "I've been applying to Floor 500 for three years!"

Rose glanced over at the Doctor, "What's Floor 500?" she asked quietly.

"It's the best Floor," Poppy murmured as quietly as her sister, her eyes on the upset Cathica and the excited Suki

"And the walls are made of gold," the Doctor replied a little grimly, not looking away from the scene in front of them either.

 ***O*O*O***

"Cathica, I'm gonna miss you!" Suki exclaimed, giddy with her excitement, her increasingly reluctant and begrudging co-worker rolling her eyes as she turned to the three others that were walking with them to the lift, "Floor 500," she breathed as they came to a stop outside the lift, before focusing on the Doctor and Poppy with a wide grin, "Thank you!"

The Doctor shook his head, "We didn't do anything," he protested gently.

"Nope," Poppy agreed, "Wasn't us."

"Well, you're both my lucky charms!" Suki beamed giddily.

The Doctor shrugged, "All right!" he grinned, "I'll hug anyone!" he said agreeably and Cathica looked away with a scowl, resentment bubbling towards her cheery co-worker as she hugged the man and then the woman that had apparently been behind her promotion.

Rose who'd just noticed that Adam wasn't with them glanced around and spotted him sitting a short distance away from them, a slightly distant look in his eyes. She glanced briefly at Poppy, chewing her lower lip, hesitating only briefly knowing she was risking losing the easy comradery that she'd been enjoying with her sister again, before she turned and started over towards the overwhelmed looking Adam. The blond missing how her sister's eyes glanced after her narrowing minutely before she turned her gaze back to the beaming Suki, her spine stiff…

"Come on," Rose tried as she came up to him, "It's not that bad…"

"What," Adam smiled a little weakly at her, "With the…" he gestured at his forehead, looking a bit sick, "Head thing?"

"Yeah," Rose agreed, before smiling encouragingly at him, "Well she's closed it now!"

"Yeah but…" Adam tried trailing as he thought of what to say, "It's everything," he decided, "It freaks me out," he expounded and Rose frowned at him minutely as she eyed him, a sense of resignation hitting her, "And I just need to… if I could just…" he struggled to find the right words, "Cool down. Sort of, acclimatise."

Rose cocked her head at him, "How d'you mean?"

"Maybe… I could just go and sit on the observation deck," he suggested hopefully, "Would that be alright?" he smiled a bit as Rose nodded, "Soak it in, you know. Pretend I'm a citizen of the year 200 000."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Rose asked only a little reluctant, not sure if she wanted to go with him more or stay…

"No, no, you stick with the Doctor and your sister," Adam denied swiftly, Rose gave a nod a slight frown darkening her brow as she eyed him, "I mean," he hastened to add, "I'd hate to give your sister another reason to hate me – don't even know what I did to her in the first place," he muttered with a weak attempt at another smile.

Rose grimaced, an awkward silence settling over them. The blond highly aware of why Poppy had suddenly started disliking him and unwilling to admit it – the reason. A twist of guilt churning in her gut at the thought of Mickey.

Adam cleared his throat, "Anyway," he broke the silence and stood, "I'll be on the deck," he stated as Rose fumbled a little clumsily with her pocket.

"Here you go…" she held the small key she'd fished out of her pocket to him, "The Tardis key. You know, just in case it gets a bit too much."

"Yeah," Adam muttered, "Like it's not weird in there," he complained even as he took the key from her, before he turned and started away from her, a gleeful grin lighting up his face as he cupped the key in his hand, rejoicing under his breath as he left Rose standing alone, staring after his retreating back.

"Oh, my God!" Suki exclaimed as an announcement came over the tannoy, "I've got to go. I can't keep them waiting," she picked up her bag from where she'd dropped it and rushed over to the waiting lift, "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed as the lift pinged and the doors opened. She stepped inside practically bouncing with giddiness, "Say goodbye to Steve for me," she asked of Cathica as the doors started to close, "Bye!"

Cathica looked away sourly, "Good riddance."

The Doctor turned his gaze from the lift to stare at the disgruntled career driven woman, brows raised, "You're talking like you'll never see her again. She's only going upstairs."

"We won't," Cathica muttered turning away from them, "Once you go to Floor 500 you never come back."

Poppy frowned at that, before she glanced at her twin as she came to stand beside her. Adam nowhere in sight, "Where's Boy Wonder?"

Rose shrugged, "Taking a break on the observation deck."

Poppy eyed her twin, "Didn't wanna go with him – coulda made a second date out of it," she groused.

"There was never a first date," Rose stated as the two of them trailed after the Doctor and Cathica as the Time Lord followed the disgruntled business woman.

"Then," Poppy eyed her twin, "What were you doing?"

Rose frowned, "I dunno…" she trailed, swallowing heavily as she felt her sister's gaze on resting on her heavily, "Being a stupid human, I guess."

Poppy huffed out a breath, before nodding, "I'd say!"

"Gee, thanks!" Rose huffed, before returning the tongue in teeth grin her sister shot her and rested her head briefly against the gingers shoulder, before in silent agreement the two sped up to catch up to the Time Lord and the journalist.

"Have you ever been up there?" the Doctor asked Cathica as the twins came up on either side of him as they followed her back across the cafeteria.

"I can't," Cathica responded with impatience, "You need a key for the lift, and you only get a key with promotion," she explained with a bitter scowl at being passed over again, "No one gets to 500 except for the chosen few.

 ***O*O*O***

Suki paced the lift with agitated impatience as it swiftly rose higher and higher. It finally came to a stop with a ping and the doors slid open to reveal a corridor covered in ice and frost. Her breath escaping her in a cloudy wisp.

She picked up her bag and stepped out into the icy corridor, hesitating outside the open doors of the lift as she glanced around dimly lit space with nervous eyes. Behind her, the lift pinged again. She jumped, scared, and whirled around as the doors of the lift shut on her. She threw her weight against the doors, pressing the call button, attempting to get them open to no avail. Giving up on the doors, she turned to her bag, riffling through it briefly before she pulled out a torch, using it to light her way as she ventured further down the strangely frost and ice-covered corridor of Floor 500, a shiver from the cold racking through her body.

A small sound, drew her attention and she edged cautiously in the direction it had come from, she peered into the room, the light of her torch illuminating it as she flashed it around as she edged into the room.

She peered around the ice-covered spike room that looked as if it hadn't been used in a long time, she slowly stepped past some shredded curtains. She reached out to the spike chair in the middle of the room, her hand grasping it only to shriek in surprise as almost skeletal dried out corpse that had been disturbed by the small disturbance to the chair, shifted into the light of her torch, the door implanted into its forehead open.

She swallowed and took a step back fro the spike chair and shined her torch about the room again, focusing on the octagonal platform. Finding eight more corpses sitting, slumped about the edges of it.

She hurriedly backed out of the room, her eyes darting about, seeking any threatening movement as she stepped back out into the corridor. A doorway suddenly opened, a shaft of light falling across the floor of the corridor drawing her attention to it. With no other indication of where she needed to go, she followed it.

She stepped through the open door and stepped into the control room, her gaze landing on a pale man standing in the middle of a cluster of computers where people where silently working, fingers moving over the keyboards. Suki turned off her torch lowering it as she eyed the pale man cautiously. He waved at her and she placed her torch safely away back in her bag, slowly walking up the steps towards him.

"Who're you?" she demanded.

"I'm the Editor," he replied.

Suki glanced about nervously as those at the computers continued to work silently, to silently, like they weren't even aware she was there. She turned wide eyes back to the Editor, "What's happening? There're…" she swallowed, "Bodies out there, what's going on?"

"Well," the Editor mused as he eyed Suki, "While we're asking questions, would you please confirm your name," he clicked his fingers sharply and a projection of Suki appeared between them and a recording taken for her application for her position began to play.

"My name is Suki Macrae Cantrell," the projection of Suki began, "I was born 1-9-9 apostrophe 8-9 in the Independent Republic of Morocco."

"Liar," the Editor stated and Suki stared at him, defiance flashing in her eyes as the projection of her started talking again.

"Hobbies include reading and archaeology. I'm not an expert or anything," her projection shrugged and smiled cheerily, "I just like digging."

"Liar!" the Editor exclaimed and with a second sharp click of his fingers the projected recording fast forwarded.

"I want to work at Satellite 5 because my sister can't afford university," the projection stated and the Editor shook his head whilst Suki looked from him to the projection of herself as her recording continued, "And the pay scheme is really good…"

"Liar!" the Editor shouted over the projection of Suki and stared at him with mute defiance in her eyes, "Let's look at the facts, shall we?" he clicked his fingers sharply once again and the projection changed to show Suki clad in army attire as she stood in a trench, firing her weapon as she shouted to her comrades, "Ah," the Editor nodded knowingly, "Hidden behind a genetic graft, but that's still you. Eva San Julienne. Last surviving member of the Freedom Fifteen! Hmm, self-declared anarchist, is that right?"

Suki, who'd been reaching for her gun, slipped it free and in a quick movement she levelled it on the Editor. Staring at him coldly, her expression hardening, "Who controls Satellite 5?" she demanded harshly – all trace of her Suki persona gone.

The Editor blinked at her, his eyes wide with shock and he slowly raised his hands into the air, before he burst out laughing, his arms lowering. Completely unconcerned that she was armed, "There's the truth!" he grinned.

"The Freedom Foundation has been monitoring Satellite 5's transmissions," Eva revealed, unfazed by the man's antics, "We have absolute proof that the facts are being manipulated," her eyes narrowed on him, "You are lying to the people."

"Ooh, I love it," the Editor grinned with amusement, "Say it again."

"This whole system is corrupt," she stepped towards him, her gun arm steady, "Who do you represent?"

"I'm merely a humble slave," the Editor smiled as Eva's eyes narrowed on him further, "I answer to the Editor in Chief."

"Well, who is he?" Eva demanded, "Where is he?"

"He's overseeing everything. Literally everything," the Editor explained with a smirk and Eva glared suspiciously, "If you don't mind, I'm going to have to refer this upwards," he clicked his fingers again and pointed up.

There was a roar from above them and Eva immediately aimed her gun towards the ceiling in response to what sounded like a more immediate threat. Her eyes widened in fear, her hands tightening about her gun, "What is that?"

"Your boss," the Editor replied pleasantly, "This has always been your boss," he added, "Since the day you were born."

Eva fired her small pulse energy gun at the roaring creature above them, her weapon doing nothing to slow it as it bore down on her – she screamed in terror as it descended on with its gaping maw and sharp teeth.

 ***O*O*O***

Adam stepped out onto the observation deck, trying to look like he belonged in the year 200 000. His palms a little sweaty in his nervous excitement. His gaze caught on the sight of the Earth and he stared down at it for a slightly drawn out moment. He tore his gaze away from the sight of his home planet and turned to the computer that had been his original intent when he'd decided to try and give Rose the slip.

He placed his hand on the hand pad, "Give me access…" he tried and grinned in elation as the vertical console lit up and the screen flickered to life, "Give me," he tried again only to get zapped by a mild electric shock that had him pulling his hand back in surprise and slight trepidation. He stared at the screen that was lifeless again, his mind ticking over the possibilities of all the information that was literally at his fingertips, just waiting, all he had to do was take it, "I can learn anything," he murmured.

He looked around him to make sure that he was still alone and that the Doctor, Rose and Poppy weren't anywhere in sight, before he turned back to the computer and placed his hand back on the pad, "Let's try… uh," he hesitated again there was so many options he had no idea what he should try first. And, he had no idea how long he had before one of them, most likely Rose came looking for him, "Computers," he decided, "From the 21st Century to the present date, give me the history of the Microprocessor."

Adam stared awed and amazed as the computer immediately brought the information up onto the screen, "Oh my God," he breathed, amazed.

 ***O*O*O***

Cathica stalked back into the spike room. Her irritation levels rising as she failed to shake the three that where following her persistently, "Look," she huffed, shooting them an irritated look, "They only give us twenty minutes for maintenance, can't you give it a rest?"

"But you've never been to another floor? Not even one door down?" the Doctor persisted as he settled himself comfortably into the broadcast chair. Poppy leaning her weight against the side of it whilst Rose leaned against the back of it.

Cathica shrugged not understanding why their interest. Things had always been this way on Satellite Five, "I went to Floor 16 when I first arrived," she offered, "That's medical, that's when I got my head done, and then I – I came straight here. Satellite Five, you work eat and sleep on the same floor. That's it, that's all," she narrowed her eyes on the three of them suspiciously as a thought suddenly struck her, "You're not management, are you?"

"At last!" the Doctor beamed an unrepentant grin in the face of Cathica's accusing stare, "She's clever!"

"Yeah, well, whatever it is, don't involve me," Cathica demanded, feeling a little nauseous at all the rules she had broken by letting not authorized personnel into the spike room, "I don't know anything."

The Doctor raised his brows at her, "Don't you even ask?"

"Well, why would I?" Cathica asked, her frustration with the three of them growing.

"Why wouldn't you?" Poppy questioned, her brow furrowed as she eyed Cathica, missing the brief smile that crossed Doctor's face as he glanced at her.

"What?" Cathica asked, her gaze zeroing in on the ginger.

"Ask?" Poppy reiterated.

"It's not my job!" Cathica exclaimed with annoyance and got incredulous raised brows from the three across from her.

"You're a journalist!" the Doctor exclaimed and Cathica huffed out an annoyed breath, her arms crossing defensively, "Why's all the crew human?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" the frazzled and frustrated Cathica cried, none of this was making any sense.

"There's no aliens on board. Why?" he rephrased his question, sitting forward staring at Cathica intently, practically trying to will her into using her brain.

"I don't know – no real reason," Cathica shrugged and shook her head, "They're not banned or anything."

The Time Lord looked about the empty spike room they were in a little theatrically, "Then, where are they?"

Cathica hesitated a moment, frowning. Unwillingly stumped by the question… one that she'd never really thought about before, "I suppose immigrations tightened up," she finally decided upon as the most plausible answer, "It's had to," she shrugged, "What with all the threats."

"What threats?" the Doctor prompted.

"I don't know…" Cathica huffed, finding herself mentally floundering again at the questioning, "All of them. Usual stuff. And the price of space warp doubled so that kept visitors away…" she trailed slightly as the Doctor, Poppy and Rose stared at her unwaveringly, waiting, "Oh, and the Government on Traffic Five's collapsed, so that stopped a lot coming, you see… just… lots of little reasons, that's all."

"Adding up to one great big fact, and you didn't even notice," the Doctor stated emphatically as he stared pointedly at the journalist.

"Doctor," Cathica rolled her eyes, just wanting to shrug his insinuations away, "I think if there was any kind of conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it. We see everything."

"I can see better," he retorted, "This society's the wrong shape. Even the technology."

"It's cutting edge!" Cathica argued and stubbornly ignored the way the Poppy and Rose crinkled their noses at her in distaste.

"It's backwards!" the Doctor exclaimed, "There's a great big door in your head! You should've chucked this out years ago."

"So," Rose turned her gaze to him, "What do you think is going on?"

"It's not just this space station," he replied with a frown, "It's the whole attitude. It's the way people think."

"Or don't think," Poppy muttered disquieted by the lack of curiosity that Cathica was displaying. Since when did journalists not want to ask questions?

The Doctor shot her a quick grin and nodded whilst Cathica narrowed her eyes in irritation, "The Great and Bountiful Human Empire's stunted. Something's holding it back."

"And how would _you_ know?" Cathica scoffed as she glared at the three of them.

"Trust me. Humanity's been set back about 90 years," the Doctor stated seriously, "When did Satellite Five start broadcasting?"

"91 years ago…" Cathica swallowed as she trailed off as what the Doctor was implying started to sink in. She looked away thoughtfully as the Doctor nodded.

 ***O*O*O***

"Mum, Dad, keep this message, ok?" Adam spoke into Rose's mobile as he stood in front of the computer terminal, "Whatever you do, don't erase it," he told the answering machine that had picked up his call as he had assumed it would, "Save it. You got that?"

Adam placed his hand on the terminal pad again, his eyes focused on the information on the screen as it lit up again, "The microprocessor became redundant in the year 2019, when it was replaced by a system called SMT, that's Single Molecule Transcription…"

Adam abruptly cut off as the computer screen flickered briefly before the information disappeared and the words 'Floor 16' appeared in its stead. He frowned at it, "No, no, no, no, no, no! What are you doing! Come back! Come…" He kicked the base of the terminal in frustration, before he looked behind him suddenly self-conscious and a little nervous that he had drawn unwanted attention with his little fit.

He turned back to the computer, frown back in place as he saw the words 'Floor 16' still on the screen, "Why are you doing that? What's Floor 16? What's down there?" the computer remained unresponsive to his questions and Adam bit his lip as he stared at it for a moment longer, before he turned and walked away. His expression somewhat nervous as he headed towards where he thought he'd seen a lift…

 ***O*O*O***

Adam stepped out of a lift when it dinged open on Floor 16. He gazed about the room he'd ended up in. It was lined with desks and all the staff looked busy as they worked and chatted amicably with each other. He walked past them all until he came to the last one where a nurse sat unoccupied. He approached her, "Sorry, um," the woman looked up at him, "Floor 16, that's um… what do you cover?" he asked.

"Medical non-emergency," she replied.

"Right," Adam said with a small nod and began backing up, "Wrong floor. I'm having technical difficulties, my screen keeps freezing, blocking me out."

"No, that's medical," the nurse corrected, almost bored, "There must be something wrong with your chip."

"Yes. Yeah, of course, yeah," Adam said and then laughed nervously, "I haven't got one," he admitted even as he started to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't be doing this… who knew if that'd raise some kind of flag.

The nurse rolled her eyes, "No wonder you can't get a screen to work. What are you…" she eyed him speculatively, "A student?"

Adam nodded as he thought quickly, "Yes, yeah, I'm um…" he floundered a little as he tried to come up with something that might be believable in the year 200 000, "I'm on a research project from… the University of Mars."

The nurse rolled her eyes in exasperation again, "The Martian Boondocks. Typical."

"Yep," Adam agreed a nervous, apologetic, giggle escaping him.

"Well," she sighed, "You still need chipping."

Adam swallowed nervously, palms beginning to sweat, "So… does that mean like… brain surgery?"

"That's an old-fashioned phrase…" she nodded, "But it's the same thing, yes."

"Oh…" Adam gulped and started to back up again, "Ok… never mind," he paused and took a single step back towards her, "But, if I get a chip… that means I could use any computer."

The nurse smiled almost predatorially, smelling weakness, "Absolutely. You'll… have to pay for it. they've stopped subsidizing,"

"Oh! Right. Sorry. Wasting your time. Thanks," he moved to take his leave again, only to stop as he slid a hand into his pocket remembering the metal stick the Doctor had given him, "Hold on… can I use this?" he held it up for her to see.

The nurse smirked almost predatorially again, her eyes gleaming as she eyed the credit stick, "That'll do nicely."

A couple of moments later had Adam sitting a bit nervously in an operating chair as the nurse moved towards him, "It all comes down to two basic types," she explained a she pushed him back into the chair and placed a circular medical device around his forehead, "Type one, the head chip. Inserted into the back of the skull," Adam swallowed nervously at that, "One hundred credits. There's the chip…" she placed the chip on the tip of her forefinger, showing it to him, "Tiny. Invisible. No scarring. Type two is the full info-spike."

"Oh, um…" Adam floundered anxiously, "That's the…" he indicated his forehead and did his best to imitate the sound the compressed information beam had made as it spiked, "…thing."

"That's the one," the nurse nodded as she turned moved across the room, "It does cost ten thousand."

"Oh, well I um…" Adam floundered torn between relief and disappointment, "I couldn't afford it, then."

"Not at all!" the nurse smiled as she turned back to him, making Adam freeze in his attempt to slip off the operating chair, "Turns out, you've got unlimited credit," she informed him as she took the credit stick out of her pocket.

"No, but…" he tried weakly, "I couldn't have it done, I mean… that's gotta hurt," he swallowed thickly, "Hasn't it?"

"Painless," the nurse assured, "Contractual guarantee."

Adam let out a nervous laugh, "No, my mate's waiting upstairs," he shook his head, "I can't have major surgery."

"It takes 10 minutes. That sort of money buys a very fast picosurgeon," she explained as she circled his chair in an almost predatorial fashion.

Adam smiled weakly, unsure, battling with his desire for the information and his fear, "No, but I… I couldn't, no, no. It's…"

The nurse leaned in closer to him, "Type one, you can interface with a simple computer. Type two, you are the computer," she explained and Adam swallowed again, "You can transmit any piece of information from the archive of Satellite 5, which is just about the entire history of the human race. Now…" she leaned in again, "Which one's it going to be?"

 ***O*O*O***

"We're _so_ gonna get in trouble," Cathica said anxiously as she stood with Rose and Poppy as the three women watched the Doctor as he scanned the side of a door with his sonic screwdriver, "You're not allowed to touch the mainframe, you're gonna get told off," she warned a she glanced around nervously sure that someone was going to notice something.

"Poppy, tell her to button it," the Doctor said without looking up from working on the door.

Poppy gave him a look, "I'm not a messenger Pigeon. Tell her yourself," she retorted.

"But, I'm busy," he whinged lightly as he continued to work and Rose rolled her eyes and shook her head in slight amusement at the pair of them.

"You can't just vandalize the place, someone's gonna notice!" Cathica hissed urgently, flinching a little as the Doctor wrenched open the door.

 ***O*O*O***

"I don't understand!" the Editor shouted at the monitor as he watched the man that was messing with the mainframe whilst three others watched, "We did a full security scan. That man was there when we found Suki Macrae Cantrell. There were no indications about him. And yet here he is…" he knelt by Eva as she sat at one of the terminals, staring blankly at the monitor in front of her as she worked.

"Clearly acting out of the parameters," he looked back at the monitor, "Fascinating," he leapt back up to his feet as the creature above his head roared at him again, "Yes, sir. Absolutely. At once," he responded obediently and began walking along the line of 'workers' speaking to them all, "Check him. Double check him. Triple check him. Quadruple."

Above him the creature rumbled again.

 ***O*O*O***

Cathica watched the Doctor with anxious eyes as he messed about with the mainframe for a moment longer, "This has nothing to do with me, I'm going back to work," she declared, before she turned intending to do just that.

"Go on then! See ya!" the Doctor called after her, not pausing in what he was doing, barely taking the time to glance after her.

Cathica stopped in her tracks and spun back around to face them, "I can't just leave you, can I?" she bemoaned as she reluctantly moved back towards the three. Vehemently wishing that she'd never met them in that moment.

"If you wanna be useful," Rose said as she glanced at her, "Get 'em to turn the heating down. It's boiling."

"Boiling is putting it mildly," Poppy muttered, fingering her jacket, contemplating shedding it and tying it about her waist instead.

Rose nodded and shot Cathica a look, "What's wrong with this place, can't they do something about it?"

Cathica shrugged, "I don't know, we keep asking, something to do with the turbine," she repeated what she'd been told.

"Something to do with the turbine," the Doctor repeated mockingly.

"Well, I don't know!" Cathica cried defensively.

"Exactly!" the Doctor exclaimed, "I give up on you Cathica. Now, look at those two," he gestured at the twins, "They've got the right idea," the two beamed pleased grins at him, "Bursting with curiosity they are."

The Doctor turned back to the door he'd opened and the exposed wires, "Why is it so hot?" he muttered with a small frown.

"One minute you're worried about the Empire and the next it's the central heating!" Cathica muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Well, never underestimate plumbing. Plumbing's very important," the Doctor replied still fiddling with the wires. A moment later Poppy let out a pained sound as the wires snapped between his hands. He glanced at her and smiled, "I meant to do that."

"Uh-huh," Poppy murmured a bit dubiously as she eyed the abused wiring as the Time Lord shoved the wires out of sight and continued working.

 ***O*O*O***

"Security scan complete," the computer announced.

"Well, who is he?" the Editor demanded.

"He is no-one."

He laughed a little hysterical, "What does that mean?"

"He is no-one," the computer repeated.

"What, you mean he has a fake ID?" he questioned.

"He has no identification."

He frowned, "But everyone's registered. We have a census for the entire Empire," he protested.

"He is no-one," the computer repeated once again.

"What he doesn't exist? Not anywhere?" he asked incredulous now at the impossibility.

"He is no-one."

"What about the blond?" he changed tack.

"She is no one."

"The ginger, then?!" he asked with increasing incredulity.

"She is no-one," the computer said again.

"All three of them?!" he asked incredulously and eyed the three on the monitor with interest. A cruel smile twisting up his lips, "Well! We all know what happens to non-entities. They get promoted," he turned to another 'worker', "Bring them up," he demanded patting the dead woman on her shoulder.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor beamed a grin as he managed to hack into the mainframe and brought the image up onto the monitor, "Here we go, Satellite Five. Pipes and plumbing. Look at the layout," he urged them as he shifted out of the way so that they could see.

Cathica stared at it incredulously, "This is ridiculous. You've got access to the computer's core. You can look at the archive, the news, the stock exchange…"

"We're not interested in extortion," Poppy waved off her incredulity.

"Well," Cathica huffed defensively, "That'd make more sense than worrying about the central heating. Any ordinary person would be all over that stuff.

"We're not ordinary…" the Doctor replied distractedly as he peered at the monitor, "There's something wrong."

"I suppose…" Cathica muttered reluctantly as she really looked at the monitor and the plumbing and piping it was displaying.

"Oh," Poppy muttered as she too eyed the monitor, reading the diagram, "No wonder it's so bleedin' hot down here."

"Why," Rose asked as she glanced between the three wishing in that moment that she could understand what she was seeing, "What is it?"

"The ventilation system," Cathica replied reluctantly, "Cooling ducts, ice filters, all working flat out… channelling massive amounts of heat down," she looked upwards frowning with confusion as to why that had been done.

"All the way from the top," the Doctor agreed.

"Floor 500," Rose breathed as she too trailed her gaze upwards.

"Something up there is generating tonnes and tonnes of heat," the Time Lord commented as Poppy turned her gaze from the moniter to peer up towards the ceiling herself.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm missing out on a party," Rose said grinning at Poppy and the Doctor.

Poppy glanced at her twin, "Dunno if I'd call it a party, Ro-Ro."

"Eh, call it what you want, Pop," Rose waved a dismissive hand at her, "It sounds like it's all going on upstairs," she flashed her twin and the Time Lord a wide tongue between her teeth grin, "Fancy a trip?"

"You can't," Cathica cut in, "You need a key."

"Keys are just codes, and I've got the codes right here," the Doctor gestured at the screen and tapped a few keys, "Here we go, override 215.9."

"How come it's giving you the code?" Cathica asked… no one was just given the code. It just didn't happen!

"Skill," Poppy smirked at Cathica who rolled her eyes at the subtle dig, whilst the Doctor grinned at the ginger, pleased.

"More like luck," Rose muttered.

"I find a combination of both, rather useful," the Doctor replied easily, "But in this case," he peered up at security camera, "Someone up there likes me."

"Joy," Poppy deadpanned, following the Doctor's gaze to the security camera and Rose couldn't have stopped her responding snigger if she'd tried.

 ***O*O*O***

Adam stared at himself in a mirror and ran his fingers over his smooth, completely normal looking forehead. It was like he hadn't had anything done at all.

"I told you it was painless," the nurse said from where she was standing beside him, "No scaring, you see? Perfect success."

"How do I activate it?" he asked as he stopped stroking the skin that didn't even feel tender or different in anyway, despite the procedure he'd just undergone.

The nurse shrugged, "It's a personal choice. Some people whistle… I know one man who triggers it with 'Oh, Danny Boy,'" Adam pulled his gaze from the mirror to look at her, "But you're set on default for now. That's a click of the fingers."

Adam swallowed thickly at the squeamishness that was curdling in his belly, "So, you mean, I just…"

The nurse raised her fingers, her thumb and forefinger brushing together, "Click."

 ***O*O*O***

The lift doors dinged open and the Doctor, Poppy and Rose stepped inside, "Come on," Rose urged Cathica who'd stopped outside the doors, "Come with us."

"No way!" Cathica declared sharply.

Poppy nodded, "Fair enough."

"Bye!" the Doctor waved.

"Well," Cathica bristled agitatedly, "Don't mention my name. When you get in trouble, just don't involve me."

"That's her gone," the Time Lord murmured as he turned from the swiftly retreating form of Cathica to look at his companions, "Adam's given up. Looks like it just us."

"Yep," Poppy nodded.

"Yeah," Rose agreed.

"Good," the Doctor stated.

"Uh-huh," Poppy nodded.

"Yep," Rose popped the 'p' and the three grinned at each other before the Doctor slotted a card into the controls and Time Lord grasped their hands as the doors slid shut and they started a swift ascent.

 ***O*O*O***

Adam clicked his fingers and the shutters that hid the door in his forehead opened, revealing his brain. He gingerly fingered the shutters, his mouth hanging open. His already pale face paling further.

He clicked his fingers again, closing the shutters, shakily, he flopped back in his seat, "Oh my God. I'm gonna be sick," he moaned, before he wretched violently, only to still with confusion as ice cold cube filled his mouth. He gingerly reached up to his mouth and pulled the cube out to reveal a vomit coloured cube. His confusion mounting.

"Special offer," the nurse explained helpfully, "We installed the vomit-o-matic at the same time. Nano-termites have been placed in the lining of your throat. In the event of sickness…" she held out a bowl to him, "They freeze the waste."

Adam placed the ice-cube he'd pulled out of his mouth into the proffered bowl, staring at it in a shaken disbelief.

 ***O*O*O***

The lift dinged open and the Doctor, Poppy and Rose stepped out into the corridor. The Doctor cast his gaze about the icy frost covered corridor and frowned, "The walls are not made of gold," he muttered, before turning concerned eyes on his companions as they both zipped their jackets up again, "You two should go back downstairs."

"Tough," Rose retorted immediately giving him an unimpressed look, before she swanned ahead of them.

"Let me guess," the Doctor muttered as he eyed Poppy, "You're with her."

Poppy shrugged at him, "Mum would kill me," she told him simply before starting down the corridor after her sister.

"Oh, yeah," he muttered as he started after his companions, "You're definitely the older twin," he muttered as he fell into step beside Poppy.

"Yeah," the ginger replied pulling her gaze from the creepy gloomy frosted over corridor to look at him.

"By like half an hour," Rose muttered, rolling her eyes.

"How'd you guess?" Poppy asked.

"Skill," the Time Lord deadpanned.

"Hm," Poppy hummed, her lips quirking upwards briefly before her attention returned to the corridor they were walking down.

"Keep close," he told them after a short beat of silence had passed and got simultaneous nods from them.

A moment later, the trio stepped through a door and into a room. They're eyes immediately landing on a man with pale hair standing in the middle of it, his gaze focused on the mounted screens – his back them.

"I started without you," he stated before turning around to face them, "This is fascinating," he grinned, "Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. Birth certificates, shopping habits, bank statements, but you three… you don't exist!" he laughed as they stared at him in silence, "Not a trace! No birth, no job, not the slightest kiss," he looked at them expectantly, "How can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?"

Rose's gaze landed on a single familiar face among the people that were sitting and working at the terminals that lined either side of the room. She rushed over to the woman, "Suki! Suki!" she called as she knelt beside her, the woman not even twitching in acknowledgement of her presence, "Hello? Can you hear me? Suki?" Rose turned to the pale man, her brown eyes wide, "What've you done to her?"

"I think she's dead," the Doctor murmured softly.

Poppy swallowed thickly as she glanced about at the others sitting at the terminals staring eerily silent at the screens in front of them – ice and frost clinging to their bodies, "I – I think they're all dead."

"But she's working…" Rose protested weakly and glanced around uncertainly at the others that were all as eerily silent and focused as Suki, "They all are."

"They've all got chips in their head, and the chips keep going. Like puppets," he explained his expression grim as he looked at all the bodies that were working manically away at the computers, nothing left of who they used to be.

"Ooh!" the man exclaimed Poppy glanced around at the deceased workers with a disturbed expression, "You're full of information! But it's only fair we get information back, because apparently, you're no-one," he said with another laugh and the Doctor nodded, "It's so rare not to know something. Who are you?"

"Leaving," Poppy replied, her gaze going from the man before them to her sister, who was still knelt by Suki, "Cos, we're leaving," she glanced at the Doctor, "Right?"

"Yep," the Doctor nodded, "We're off. Nice to meet you," he said with a cold glare at the man, fully intending to get his companions out of here.

"Come on," Poppy gestured to her twin, the blond nodded, already shifting to straighten up only for the working body of Suki she'd been knelt beside to suddenly grab her, "Oi!" the ginger exclaimed as she moved to help her sister only to be brought up short as two sets of cold hands grabbed her by her arms at the same time two others grabbed the Doctor, "Oh, you are kidding!" she snarled as she tried to yank herself free only for the cold hands to tighten painfully threatening to cut off the flow blood in her arms. She stilled her gaze darting to her sister as she was held by Suki, her sisters wide brown eyes meeting hers.

"Tell me who you are!" he demanded persistently.

"Since that information's keeping us alive, I'm hardly going to say, am I?" the Doctor replied coolly defiant.

The man merely smiled as if he found them amusing, "Well, perhaps my Editor in Chief can convince you otherwise."

"And who's that?" the Time Lord questioned, frowning.

"It may interest you to know that this is not the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. In fact, it's not actually human at all. It's merely a place where humans happen to live," a grumbling growl sounded from above an angry tone to it, "Yeah, sorry. It's a place where humans are allowed to live by kind permission of my client," he adjusted his statement, before snapping his fingers smartly and pointed upwards.

The three looked up to see a large slobbering blob of an alien with a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.

Rose swallowed thickly, "What is that?"

"Whatever it is –" Poppy swallowed, her gaze locked on the large creature's razer-sharp teeth, "It sure doesn't look friendly."

Rose nodded silently.

"You mean, that thing's in charge of Satellite Five?" the Doctor half asked, half stated as he stared up at it with mild disgust.

"That 'thing' as you put it, is in charge of the human race," the man replied with a glare whilst the Doctor tore his gaze away from the alien on the ceiling to stare at the man in alarm, "For almost a hundred years, mankind has been shaped and guided, his knowledge and ambition strictly controlled by its broadcast news. Edited by my superior, your master, and humanities guiding light, the mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe," the alien roared at them and the man smiled at them, "I call him Max."

The Doctor smiled and nodded sardonically, whilst Poppy managed to tear her gaze from the mightily unfriendly looking teeth of the alien above them as it roared again to look at the man incredulously.

"Max?" the ginger muttered as her gaze went back up to the angry creature, "He doesn't look like a Max."

"More of a Rex," Rose agreed, her voice wavering a little as she continued to eye the threatening alien warily.

"Or a Raptor," Poppy nodded and beside the ginger, the Doctor couldn't help but let out a short amused despite himself, incredulous snort. The two falling back into wary silence as the Jagrafess let out another loud angry roar.

The pale man, who called himself the Editor, smiled.

 ***O*O*O***

Cathica walked back towards the computer that she had watched the Doctor hack into. She didn't understand why she was back… she'd left the three of them to rot in whatever trouble they found up there on Floor 500.

But she couldn't stop thinking about the ventilation and the heat that was being pumped down to them… from the fact that the Doctor, as strange as he and his two companions were, so completely believed that something was wrong.

And the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't help but notice that something was going on! Something was odd, wrong and she hadn't noticed… and now that she knew, had questions. She had to know more – find answers, wanted to discover the truth.

Wanted to prove the Doctor wrong, maybe. That these new feelings were wrong and that everything was fine…

She so wanted everything to be fine. Everything was probably fine – but what if it wasn't? She stared at the computer for a moment before she glanced around nervously… almost positive that someone was watching her… would stop her… but no one seemed to be paying attention. She stepped into the lift and entered the code with a slightly shaky hand and swallowed thickly as the lift doors dinged closed and it began moving up…

She'd been so caught up in what she was doing, that she never noticed Adam, who'd swiftly turned when he'd seen her and did his best to blend in with the scenery of those milling about around the area of Floor 139…

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy glared down at the manacles that had been locked tightly around her wrists, before turning her glare on the Editor as he continued talking. Matching manacles were locked around the Doctor and Rose's wrists.

The animated bodies that'd taken them prisoner had been rather persistent about herding the three of them up against a wall and into the manacles.

"Create a climate of fear… then it's easy to keep the borders closed," the Editor explained, "It's just a matter of emphasis. The right word in the right broadcast repeated often enough can destabilize an economy… invent an enemy… change a vote…"

"Brainwash the masses," Poppy cut in, her glaring brown eyes accusing, "How could you do it?"

"Easily," the Editor shrugged, smiling and Poppy gritted her teeth in anger, eyes flashing dangerously.

"So," Rose swallowed uneasily, "All the people on Earth are like, slaves."

"Well, now," the Editor mused, "There's an interesting point. Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?"

"Yes," the Doctor stated simply but firmly.

"Oh," the Editor all but pouted in disappointment, "I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I'm going to get? Yes?"

"Yes," the Doctor repeated; his blue eyes icy as he regarded the man.

The Editor laughed, "You're no fun."

"Let me out of these manacles, you'll find out how much fun I am," the Doctor promised with a dark glower.

"Oh, he's tough, isn't he," the Editor said unfazed by the threat in the Doctor's tone or the glares he was receiving from the manacled trio, "But come on. Isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it, just a little bit."

"Not even a little bit!" Poppy bit out, her manacled hands clenched into fists.

"You can't hide something on this scale. Somebody must've noticed!" Rose argued.

The Editor shrugged, "From time to time, someone, yes. But the computer system allows me to see inside their brain… I can see the smallest doubt, and crush it," he grinned as Poppy grimaced – for the first time rightly terrified at the things that technology could eventually achieve and how such advances could be used in the wrong hands.

 ***O*O*O***

The doors to the lift dinged open as it once again came to a stop at Floor 500 and Cathica stepped out, steeling herself as she strode out into the corridor and took in the ice and frost covered walls and floor – her gaze landing on the shoeprints left in the frost covering the floor. She swallowed heavily, set her shoulders determinedly and followed them.

 ***O*O*O***

Adam stepped cautiously into the spike room and glanced about, ensuring that he was alone, before he shut the door behind him with a soft click.

 ***O*O*O***

"And then they just carry on, living their life. Strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the Earth like they're so individual," the Editor continued. Behind him, the Doctor spotted Cathica out of the corner of his eye as she stepped into the room, but hung back, remaining out of sight as she listened in with wide eyes and a frown, "When of course they're not. They're just cattle. In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing."

"What about you? You're not a Jagra… uh a…" Rose trailed as she struggled to force her mouth to form the word correctly.

"Jagrafess," the Doctor told her.

"Jagrafess. You're not a Jagrafess. You're human," Rose stated.

The Editor shrugged, "Yeah, well simply being human doesn't pay very well."

"But," Rose frowned, "You couldn't have done all this on your own."

"Of course he couldn't," Poppy said glaring coldly at the Editor, "Someone had to give him his pay rise."

The Editor nodded and smiled, completely unperturbed by the disgust in the gingers tone, "I represent a consortium of banks. Money prefers a long-term investment. Also, the Jagrafess needed a little hand to um… install himself."

"No wonder, a creature that size," the Doctor looked up at the slobbering snarling alien again, and Cathica who was still hiding followed his gaze up to lay eyes on the alien for the first time and her eyes widened in alarm at the sight of it. The Time Lord returned his gaze to the Editor, "What's his life span?"

"Three thousand years," the Editor replied.

"That's one hell of a metabolism generating all that heat. That's why Satellite Five's so hot. You pump it out of that creature, channel it downstairs – Jagrafess stays cool, stays alive. Satellite Five's one big life support system."

 ***O*O*O***

Adam settled himself into the broadcast chair and clicked his fingers opening the door in his head, before he pulled out the phone he was _borrowing_ from Rose, dialling his home number once again, "It's me again. Don't wipe this message. It's just gonna sound like white noise, but save it because I can translate it, okay? Three, two, one… and spike!"

The beam of compressed information shot down from the contraption above the chair and flowed directly into Adam's brain.

 ***O*O*O***

"But _that's_ why you're so dangerous. Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown," the Editor gave a small chuckle as the trio just stared at him silently. He clicked his fingers and the manacles sent an electric shock through them, "Who are you?" he demanded, whilst Floors below them in a spike room Adam started to shake.

The Doctor grimaced in pain, glancing over at his two human companions with concern, his brain actively calculating just how likely the electricity would harm them, right down the varying degrees based on exposure, "Leave them alone. I'm the Doctor, that's Poppy and Rose Tyler, we're nothing, we're just wandering."

"Tell me who you are!" the Editor demanded again.

The Time Lord glared, "I just said!"

"Yes, but who do you work for? Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly…" the Editor trailed off, his gaze un-focusing, looking past the three as new information was streamed to him as it updated.

The Doctor looked at the man questioningly as a grin suddenly spread across his face, so at odds with his earlier frustrated demeanour.

"Oh, that can't be good…" Poppy muttered lowly, concentrating on breathing as her muscles twitched minutely against her control.

"Time Lord," the Editor stated.

The Doctor eyes widened, "What?"

"Oh yes!" the Editor laughed again, joyous now in his triumph, "The last of the Time Lords in his travelling machine," his gaze shifted to the two women manacled beside the Doctor, "Oh, with his two little human girls from long ago…" he reached out long pale fingers to touch the blonde's cheek almost in disbelief that what he was discovering was possible.

"Touch her and I'll break you're nose," Poppy stated icily, her brown eyes narrowed dangerously in warning.

"That would be almost scary," the Editor shot her a cocky self-assured smirk, "If you weren't currently firmly locked down," he brushed his fingers against Rose's cheek, the younger Tyler twin jerking her head away roughly from his cold fingers.

"Best hope I don't get free then," Poppy murmured, her voice soft but no less intense as she met the Editor's gaze unwaveringly.

He laughed and then grinned as he eyed them, "It's amazing – never did I think it even remotely possible. And, yet here you are so far from home."

"You don't know what you're talking about," the Doctor yelled.

"Time travel," the Editor continued, his head canting slightly to the side in curiosity as he learned more.

"Someone's been telling you lies," the Doctor refuted with a shake of his head, trying to remain at least outwardly calm.

"Young Master Adam Mitchell?" the Editor responded with a smile and raised a hand. He clicked his fingers together and a projection of Adam on the spike chair as he writhed and shouted with pain as information streamed into him just as it was being pulled out of him.

"Oh, my God, his head!" Rose breathed horrified as the three of them watched the projection with wide eyes.

"What the hell's he gone and done? What the hell he's gone and done?" the Doctor growled all pretence of calm leaving him as fury collided with horror and from her spot Cathica stared as she listened intently.

"I thought you said he was going to the observation deck?!" Poppy cried with alarm.

"That's what he said!" Rose exclaimed a tad defensively, "How'd he even – oh!" she groaned with horror, "He had the stick! The credit stick!"

"They're reading his mind," the Doctor shouted with frustration as he turned his head to look at Poppy and Rose, "He's telling them everything!"

"And through him, I know everything about you," the Editor smirked, "Every piece of information in his head is now mine. And you have infinite knowledge, Doctor. The Human Empire is tiny compared to what you've seen in your T-A-R-D-I-S. TARDIS."

"You'll never get your hands on it," the Doctor swore, "I'll die first!"

"Die all you like," the Editor shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't need you. I've got the key."

"What?!" Poppy exclaimed and then stilled along with the Doctor and Rose in shock and increasing horror as the Tardis key slowly floated out of the pocket Adam had stuffed it into and dangled in the air.

"You and your boyfriends!" the Doctor growled with a quick glare in the blonde's direction and Rose winced guilty.

"Today, we are the headlines," the Editor interrupted them before Rose could try and say anything in her defence, "We can rewrite history," he grinned, "We could prevent mankind from ever developing."

"And no-one's going to stop you. Because you've bred a human race that doesn't bother to ask questions. Stupid little slaves, believing every lie. They'll just trot right into the slaughter house if they're told it's made of gold," the Doctor glanced over to where Cathica had been standing moments before to see her gone.

An alarm suddenly blared making the Editor frown in confusion, "What's happening?" he demanded to know as he turned away from his captives to rush over to the computer terminals to look at the monitors over the 'workers' shoulders, "Someone's disengaged the safety," he muttered before clicking his fingers and the projection changed to show Cathica in the disused spike room of Floor 500, compressed information flowing into her brain, "Who is that?!" he demanded to know.

"It's Cathica!" Rose exclaimed.

"And she's thinking. She's using what she knows!" the Doctor said with a relieved smile.

"So much for your race of cattle," Poppy snarked at the Editor, a relieved smile of her own curling up her lips, "Go girl!"

"Terminate her access," the Editor demanded.

"Everything I told her about Satellite Five, the pipes, the filters, she's reversing it! Look at that…" the Doctor nodded to the melting icicles, "It's getting hot."

"I said, terminate!" the Editor ordered starting to get a tiny bit frantic as he placed his own hands over Suki's, "Burn her mind."

"Oh, no you don't. You should have promoted me _years_ back!" they heard Cathica say through the projection, a look of determination on her face and in the next moment all the screens exploded with a shower of sparks and all the animated bodies at the terminals slumped over lifelessly to the floor.

The entirety of Satellite Five shuddered as warning alarms went off throughout it and the people froze and then panicked.

The manacles around Rose's wrists fell away and she glanced down at her free wrists in surprise for a brief moment, whilst the Editor tried to get the collapsed bodies to sit upright again.

"She's venting heat up here. The Jagrafess needs to stay cool and now it's sitting on top of a volcano," the Doctor explained and the creature above them roared furiously. The Doctor shifted so that Rose could reach into his jacket pocket as he let out a laugh.

"Yes! Uh… I'm trying, sir but, I don't know how she did it, it's impossible. A member of staff with an idea…" the Editor stumbled over his words as the Jagrafess roared at him enraged… he pushed Suki's body aside and leapt into her seat to try and operate the computer himself in desperation.

Rose dug desperately around in the Doctor's pocket, before her hand closed about the sonic screwdriver and she yanked it out, "What do I do?"

"Flick the switch!" the Doctor shouted.

Rose immediately flicked the switch and then jumped as another explosion went off nearby in response. She stared at the slender device in alarm, before she shook herself and turned to her twin, buzzing the sonic at the manacles locked about her wrists.

Poppy yanked her wrists up and away from the unforgiving metal of the manacles the moment they sprung open, rubbing her wrists as Rose immediately turned to the Doctor, buzzing with the sonic again.

Poppy stalked forward, her gaze locked on the Editor's back, anger thrumming through her. She came to a stop by the terminal the Editor was frantically trying to work.

"Oi mate!" the Doctor shouted to the Editor, his gaze turning from the sonic in Rose's hands to the man in time to see Poppy's fist connect solidly with his face, sending him tumbling out the chair he'd booted Suki off.

The Editor groaned loudly in pain, his eyes wide in disbelief as he stared up at Poppy as he clutched at his nose, blood slipping from between his fingers, "You-You brok' my nose!" he exclaimed, his voice pained and muffled behind his hands.

"Said I would," Poppy retorted icily as she turned and stalked back to her sister and the Doctor who was buzzing the sonic at the second manacle.

The Doctor blinked and then shot her a quick smile before his gaze went to the Editor as he managed to sit up from his slumped over position on the floor, one hand still clutching at his bloodied broken nose, "Wanna bank on certainty?" he smirked as he yanked his wrist free of the second manacle and snatched his sonic from Rose pocketing it, "Massive heat in a massive body. Massive bang!" he grasped his companions hands as lumps of flesh started falling from the Jagrafess, "See you in the headlines!" he called over his shoulder before the three of them dashed out of the control room as fast as they could.

The Editor stared after them a brief moment, a hand still cradling his throbbing nose, before he looked up to see the Jagrafess that was glowing red as more chunks of flesh fell from it, "Um, actually sir, if it's all the same to you, I think I'll resign. Bye, then!" he scrambled up, or tried to, as he fell back to the ground before he was even halfway to his feet as a hand grasped his ankle, preventing his escape. He looked back to see Suki staring blankly at him, "Let go of me!" he demanded, "Let go! Let go!" the dead woman merely tightened her grip.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor, Poppy and Rose ran into the spike room of Floor 500 and hurried over to the broadcast chair where Cathica was lying, the door in her forehead still open. The Time Lord released Rose's hand and clicked his fingers and the door closed.

He grinned as Cathica's gaze focused on him and she smiled in return, the Doctor helped her to her feet and then the four were dashing out of the room, and racing for the lift…

 ***O*O*O***

The Editor paused in his attempts to get free from Suki's tightening grasp as a horrid noise drew his attention. He looked up and screamed in horrified terror as the Jagrafess swelled alarmingly and then exploded.

 ***O*O*O***

"We're just gonna go," the Doctor told Cathica, "I hate tidying up. Too many questions. You'll manage," he assured Cathica. The four of them back on Floor 139. Poppy and Rose a short distance behind him, leaning against a bar, as the people who called Satellite Five home picked up around them… recovering from the commotion.

Cathica shook her head, "You'll have to stay and explain it. No-one's gonna believe me," she tried, not looking forward to having to try and explain what had happened. She was still struggling to believe it had happened!

"Oh, they might start believing a lot of things now," the Doctor waved off her concern, "The Human Race should accelerate. All back to normal," he assured her.

Cathica looked past him to Adam who was loitering by the firmly closed Tardis doors rather nervously, "What about your friend?"

The Doctor glanced in Adam's direction and scowled darkly at the boy, "He's not my friend," he muttered as he stood from the table, he'd been sitting at with Cathica and marched towards him. His stride menacing in his bubbling fury with the _Boy Wonder_.

"Now don't…" Rose tried half-heartedly as he marched past where her and Poppy where leaning against the bar, the two following after him hurriedly.

The Doctor ignored her, not even sparing the blond a glance as he closed in on Adam. His jaw clenching.

"I'm alright now," Adam said hurriedly at his approach, trying to play it off, "Much better. I've got the key," he said showing it the angry Time Lord in a peace offering, "Well, it's… I know…" he laughed nervously as the Time Lord continued to glower unmoved by his rather anxious fumbling, "It all worked out for the best, didn't it?" he laughed nervously again.

The Doctor snatched the key out of the boy's hand, before he grabbed the boy in a firm onehanded grasp and unlocked the door with Rose's key.

"You know, it's not actually my fault, because you were in charge," Adam attempted to shift the blame. His discomfort growing as the Time Lord remained stonily silent, blue eyes icy cold as he glared at him.

The Doctor shoved the boy inside and stalked in after him. He marched over to the console and waited just long enough for the door to shut behind Rose as she followed Poppy inside, before he fired up the Tardis' engines sending the ship into flight with a wheeze.

 ***O*O*O***

Adam stumbled, tripping over his feet as the Doctor steered him out of the Tardis with a firm grip on his shoulder, the only thing keeping him from falling flat on his face. The Time Lord released him with a small push and Adam stared around and felt a rush of relief and surprise, "It's my house! I'm home! Oh, my God, I'm home!" he exclaimed whilst the Doctor glared at him silently, arms crossed over his chest, "Blimey. I thought you were going to chuck me out of an airlock."

"Is there something you want to tell me?" the Doctor broke his stony silence.

"No. Um… what do you mean?" Adam asked, shifting nervously. His gaze drifting unwilling to the house phone where the answering machine was blinking.

The Doctor uncrossed his arms and strode purposefully across the room towards the blinking answering machine he'd noted the moment he'd stepped into the living room of Adam's home. He picked up the phone, "The archive of Satellite Five. One second of that message could've changed the world."

Adam's face paled and his expression fell, thoroughly caught, he shifted wanting to say something to stop the man as the Time Lord dropped the phone back onto it's cradle, but couldn't come up with anything that'd stop him as the Doctor aimed his sonic and flicked the switch, blowing up the answering machine phone and all.

The Doctor tucked his sonic away and started back towards the Tardis where his companions where standing by the door, "That's it, then. See ya."

Adam stared at him dumbly, his relief at being safely home and not tossed out of an airlock vanishing, "How do you mean, 'see ya'?"

"As in 'goodbye'," the Doctor reiterated.

Adam gaped at him, "But… what about me? You can't just go, I've got my head, I've got a chip type two, my head opens."

The Doctor turned to look at him, "What, like this?" he mocked and clicked his fingers together making the door in Adam's forehead spring open.

"Don't!" Adam cried angrily as he clicked his own fingers together to close it.

"Don't do what?" the Doctor asked, clicking his fingers together again.

"Stop it!" Adam snarled clicking his own fingers again.

Poppy tilted her head, feeling rather vindictive, "We're not doing anything," she said with an air of innocence before clicking her fingers.

"Quit it!" Adam snapped as he clicked his fingers again glaring at her, fuming indignantly.

"Alright now, you two. That's enough," Rose gently scolded, her own eyes dancing with amusement as she glanced from Adam to them and back again, "Stop it."

"Thank you," Adam said gratefully and smiled at the blond rather hopefully right up until Rose clicked her fingers, "Oi!" Adam exclaimed his expression falling back into annoyance as he was forced to click his fingers once again.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Rose apologised with an unrepentant snigger.

The Doctor's mildly amused smile fell back into a grim line as he turned his attention from his companions to the petulant Adam, "The whole of history could've changed because of you."

"I just wanted to help," Adam tried to fix it once again, affixing his best apologetic, woe is me expression on his face.

"You were helping yourself," the Doctor stated unmoved.

Adam swallowed, "And, I'm sorry. I've said I'm sorry, and I am. I really am, but you can't just leave me like this," he pleaded, practically ready to get down on his knees and beg.

"Yes I can," the Doctor replied flatly, "Cos if you show your head to anyone, they'll dissect you in seconds. You'll have to live a very quiet life. Keep out of trouble. Be average. Unseen. Good luck," he turned and opened the Tardis door.

"But," Adam protested, "I wanna come with you!"

The Doctor glanced back at him, "I only take the best. I've got Poppy and Rose," he stated as he turned to the Tardis, disappearing inside.

The front door opened and Adam paled, "Oh my God," he breathed rather petrified, his eyes wide as Poppy turned and followed the Doctor inside the Tardis without so much as a last word to him.

"Who is that? Jeff? Is that you?" his mum called having heard a male voice, coming from the living room.

"It's me mum, don't come in, wait there a minute," he called back to her desperately.

"Oh, my Lord," his mum exclaimed with delight, "You never told me you were coming home!" Adam shifted embarrassedly and Rose couldn't help but smile in teasing amusement, her tongue between her teeth, watching as he squirmed as his mum continued talking, "Hold on, I'll just take my coat off. You should've told me you were coming home. I would've got your favourite tea in."

Adam turned his desperate pleading gaze to Rose who was lingering a little longer, hope still alive that he could convince one of them to let him back in… to not leave him like this, "Rose… take me with you."

Rose stared at him a moment longer, her eyes cool, before she too turned and stepped into the Tardis the door closing behind her leaving Adam to watch numbly as the Tardis engines came to life and then the big blue box dematerialized as if it'd never been there at all. Leaving him all alone for all of two seconds as his mum bustled in through the door and barely a second or two later as she rambled on excitedly, clicked her fingers.

 ***O*O*O***

"That was a good punch earlier," the sound of Rose's voice coming from the doorway of the kitchenette had Poppy jerking on the stool she was perched upon, her gaze shooting from the rapidly cooling mug of tea she'd been staring into, to her sister to see the blond lingering in the door way, "Looked like it had some pretty solid impact."

Poppy nodded, "Sensei would be proud," she murmured, before she frowned and blew out a sighing breath, "Except for the whole acting in anger instead of self-defence thing."

"Ah, he had it coming," Rose said dismissively as she settled herself onto a stool beside her sister as the ginger tapped her fingers over the sides of it. Silence, "You didn't hurt yourself, did you? Punching that creep?"

Poppy shot her twin a look, brows quirking at her, "I think I've learnt how to punch without damaging myself by now."

"Right," Rose nodded, glancing away from her and shifting uncomfortably on her perch as silence descended upon them again.

Poppy blew out another breath, "I'm gonna be calling mum soon," she broke the silence drawing the blonde's gaze to her again, "And, Mickey."

Rose stilled, her heart speeding up with anxiety, "Oh," she eyed her sister cautiously, "What are you gonna say?"

Poppy scowled down at her teacup, "I don't know," she turned serious brown eyes on her sister, "I guess that depends on you."

Rose swallowed, "On me?"

Poppy nodded, "Do you love, Mickey?" Rose hesitated, voice sticking in her throat as her heart thudded and the ginger rolled her eyes and shifted to get down from her stool.

"Yes!" Rose finally managed to get out.

And Poppy paused, turning eyes full of doubt on her twin, "Do you?"

"Yes," Rose nodded adamantly.

Poppy eyed her for another moment and then nodded, "Alright," she picked up her teacup and started from the kitchenette, only to pause again and turn back to her sister, "It's ok, you know," she began a bit haltingly, "If you don't. Mickey loves you," she swallowed heavily knowing just how much it'd hurt her best friend if things didn't work out between him and Rose, "But it's not fair to leave him hanging like that," she fixed her sister with a firm look, "He deserves better than that," she stated seriously. She waited until her twin gave her a small nod, before she let her expression lighten and she smiled, "So, you coming or not?"

Rose jerked on the stool in surprise and then beamed a grin as she practically vaulted off her stool and dashed after her sister's retreating form, "Duh!" she exclaimed merrily as she came up beside her. The blond chatting away at her sister as they made their way towards the privacy of their bedrooms, eager to put the whole thing behind her – forget it had ever happened!


	8. Chapter 8 Father's Day

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just my o/c Poppy.

 **A/N:** Big thank you's to everyone who followed/favourited and reviewed the previous chapter. And another big thank you goes to **Maethoriel Artemis** for reading over this chapter for me and giving me feedback on it.

Also, it seems my muse has been bitten again with another idea for an o/c companion for the Doctor starting from the 9th Doctor once more. I've even got an idea for a possible Buffy/Doctor fic. Anyway, point is I was just wondering if you guys liked the idea of another fic.

I'm just aware that they are gonna start sounding a bit similar in what I can o/c's doing in certain episodes. I mean, I'll probably still end up writing it because it's in my head and won't leave until it's down on paper.

Anyway, I'm gonna stop before I start really rambling at you all so that you can get on to reading the chapter.

 **CHAPTER 8**

 **Father's Day**

Poppy picked up a ripe red apple on her way out of the kitchenette, throwing it up in the air and catching it as she entered the corridor. She took a bite out of it as she journeyed down it, heading towards the console room. She trod lightly down the stairs into the spacious round room, her gaze going immediately to the Doctor as he wandered around the console his back to her as he focused on something in his hands.

He turned as she came off the last stair and jumped in surprise as his gaze landed on her, fumbling with the device in his hands in his startlement, "Blimey!" he exclaimed.

Poppy quirked her brows up at him, mildly amused, "Sorry, me and my post workout apple," she waved the half-eaten apple at him, "Didn't mean to startle you."

"You didn't!" the Doctor exclaimed and Poppy raised her brows higher in disbelief, "I'm just used to you and your sister announcing yourselves like a pair of stampeding elephants!" he huffed in response to her look.

Poppy rolled her eyes, "We don't always _race_ to the console room," she stated before taking another bite of her apple.

"You do first thing," the Doctor remarked.

"Yeah," Poppy shrugged, the smallest of disappointed pouts jutting out her lower lip, "Well, not today," she shrugged glancing about the console room that was devoid of a blond head of hair, "Ro must have slept in a bit longer than usual," she hypothesised, "Completed my work out and everything and she's still not up and about."

"Go jump on her then," the Doctor suggested.

"I'm not that mean," Poppy replied and the Doctor arched his brows up at her, and she smirked as she shrugged nonchalantly, "…Maybe in another hour."

The Doctor grinned, shoulders shaking a bit as he sniggered, before he looked back down at the device he was holding, fiddling with it again.

Poppy blinked, her gaze drawn to it, "What's that?" she asked as she eyed it curiously.

The Doctor looked up, "An old filter," he replied, "Thought I'd clean it up a bit and see what I can make of it."

"Oh, cool," Poppy nodded, taking the last bite of her apple and wandering over to the console and opening up a compartment that hid the bin; tossing it inside.

"Would you like a go?" the Doctor asked and she whirled around to face him, her brown eyes bright as her gaze landed on him.

"Is that a trick question?!" she grinned, "I'd love too!" she exclaimed, pausing only long enough to wipe her hands clean of any sticky apple juice with a disinfectant wipe she pulled from one of the shelves beneath the console and binning it as she had her apple core, before starting over towards him.

"Be gentle," he cautioned as he handed her the old filter, he'd found in his tinkering room along with a small very fine-toothed variant of what Poppy would describe as a condenser cleaning brush… though the bristles appeared softer.

She looked both the brush and filter over with curious eyes, wandering slowly over to the jump seats beside the captain's chair. The Doctor claiming the captain's chair beside her, "Like this?" Poppy asked to be sure as she positioned the brush carefully.

The Doctor nodded, "Yeah," watching her as she devoted her attention to the task of cleaning the small sections with care.

"Any plans for it once it's been cleaned up?" Poppy asked breaking the silence after a few moments, her hands shifting over the filter, gripping it firmly with one hand as she applied the brush, not looking up from her work.

The Doctor shrugged leaning back in the captain's chair, "Got a few ideas. Nothing concrete – may even just take it apart yet."

"So – undecided," Poppy nodded, humming a bit under her breath as she worked, relaxing into it as she got more comfortable with the strange looking filter, she was cleaning – always being sure to keep her movements with the brush careful and precise.

The Doctor watched her work, his lips quirking with fondness as her tongue poked out between her teeth in concentration as she bowed her head over the task. The comfortable silence between them broken only by the soft sound of the brush and the Tardis' rhythmic humming.

Poppy carefully removed the brush from the section she was cleaning, before eyeing the filter again turning it over in her hands and frowning as she eyed it, moving her hands over it carefully prodding at it for an extended moment – feeling the Time Lord's eyes on her, but ignoring it as she examined the tubular device. She huffed out a breath after another moment and turned to him, holding the filter out towards him, "Alright – how do you get in to clean this bit?" she gestured to a section near the centre that didn't seem to have any point of easy access for the tool he'd given her to clean it with.

"Oh," the Doctor grinned taking it from her, "Like this…" he trailed shifting his hands over the filter and then frowning as nothing happened, "Ooh, a bit stuck," he muttered, shifting his hands again and pressing harder. Before he gave it a hard smack against the palm of his hand.

"Oi!" Poppy exclaimed, "You said be gentle with it!"

"With the cleaning brush," the Doctor replied still frowning at the filter that had yet to do as he wanted, "The filter itself is quite sturdy," he peered it at it, before giving it another sharp smack, and the centre bit sprang open as it was supposed to, a black sooty dust expelling out of it and covering his face, "Urgh!" he grimaced making a disgusted face, some of it having gotten in his mouth, "Soot!" he frowned at the filter, "How'd soot get in there…" he mused, "You know, I've forgotten what I originally pulled this filter out from," he blinked and turned his head too look at Poppy, "Nothing dangerous!" he assured, "It's just ordinary soot…" he trailed as the ginger's lower lip trembled as she stared at him wide eyed. He frowned at her questioningly, "What?" only to blink in surprise as she suddenly burst out laughing – clutching at her stomach as she hunched over a bit as she sniggered.

"What?!" the Doctor questioned again eyeing her.

Poppy shook her head, "You're face!" she laughed, "It's covered! Ha!"

The Doctor blinked and swivelled about in his chair to peer into the nearest reflective surface, "Oh, so I am!" he turned back to her and eyed her once again as she wiped tears from under her eyes, "It's not that funny."

"Oh, it is a bit!" she gestured a small space between her thumb and forefinger as she turned to look at him with a teasing grin.

The Doctor sniggered.

Poppy blinked, "What?"

"You're fairly covered yourself!" he grinned.

Poppy blinked and glanced down at her hands to see them covered in the sooty substance from cleaning what she had of the filter, "Ooh!" she turned her gaze back to the Doctor, "Do I resemble a zebra?"

The Doctor nodded as he grinned at her with amusement, "A bit. Got lovely matching twin streaks across your face. Although," he mused teasingly, his eyes going to her ginger hair and it's white streak, "You've got to have the oddest colouring of a zebra I've ever seen."

Poppy eyed him, teasing grin in place, "No ginger zebras somewhere in the universe?"

"Might be," the Doctor shrugged, beaming another grin at her, "Though you're the first I've ever seen," they broke into laughter, before the Doctor stood and offered her a hand, "Come on! We should get cleaned up."

Poppy nodded, taking his hand and letting him pull her too her feet, "Good idea. Dangerous or not. I don't fancy being covered in soot all day," she pulled a slightly exaggerated disgusted face.

"Not my idea of a good time either," the Doctor agreed casually as they started from the console room together. The filter left behind on one of the jump seats – sooty residue staining the yellow for a moment before the Tardis hummed with exasperated amusement and it slowly disappeared leaving behind a clean yellow seat.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose glanced around as she descended into the console room, a picture frame clutched against her chest. The blond frowning at seeing it empty, having expected to find the Doctor at the very least in the console room.

She stepped further in, moving slowly round the console just in case he was under the console or crouched down out of sight. She bit her lip as she came to a stop, teeth worrying at her lower lip as she glanced down at the frame, she was holding between her hands at realising that he wasn't where she'd expected.

She sighed, shifting impatiently, before she heard the familiar voices of her twin and the Doctor along with their footsteps and she turned to see the two of them cresting the stairs, "There you two are!" she exclaimed as they started down them, smiling a bit as she started around the console towards them, "I was about to start looking for ya!"

"Oh," the Doctor arched a curious brow as he eyed the blond as he sank down into the captain's chair, "What for?"

"Well," Rose shifted a little glancing at Poppy, her fingers tightening about the frame clutched between her hands, "I've been thinking…"

"Well, that's dangerous…" Poppy drawled teasingly, lips quirking upwards at the corners, "You didn't hurt yourself, did ya?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "Shut up, Pop!" she huffed as her twin grinned with her tongue between her teeth.

Poppy's smile faded as she caught sight of what Rose was clutching to her chest and she frowned at the back of the familiar frame with confusion, "Ro…" she began her gaze flicking up from the frame that was identical to one that she had with the exact same picture inside of it, "What d'you got dad's picture for?"

The Doctor's brows rose as his own gaze went to the frame the blond was clutching, her lip once again caught between her teeth, "Dad?"

Rose shifted her grip on the frame, turning it so that he Doctor could see the picture of her dad with thinning red hair as he laughed, "Peter Alan Tyler, our dad," she began her tone become wistful as she gazed down at the picture she was showing the Time Lord, "The most wonderful man in the world. Born 15th September 1954."

 ***O*O*O***

A 6-year-old Poppy and a 6-year-old Rose wandered down the corridor in search of their mum, Rose's hand clasped in her sisters. The twin's poking their head into the mother's room to see her sitting on her bed, a photo album open on her lap.

Jackie looked up from the album her gaze landing on her two little girls and she smiled, "Come here, you two," she beckoned them, "Come here," she encouraged and the two padded into the room, the pair letting go of each other's hand as they clambered up on the bed, crawling over it. The pair situating themselves on either side of their mother and getting comfortable, their eyes going to the open album.

"Who's that?" Jackie asked them, pointing at the picture of Pete Tyler she'd been gazing at, "It's your daddy," she told them as the two merely stared, "You two weren't old enough to remember when he died. 1987, 7th of November. Do you remember what I told you?" she questioned looking from one to the other, "The day that Stuart Hoskins and Sarah Clarke got married," she smiled fondly as she turned the page to reveal a picture of her and Pete together, "He was always having adventures. Oh," she sighed wistfully, smoothing her hand down the page of the album, "He would have loved to have seen the two of you now."

 ***O*O*O***

"That's what mum always says," Rose concluded.

Poppy eyed her twin with quirked brows, "Where are you going with this, Ro-Ro?"

Rose swallowed, shifting her fingers around the frame a little anxiously, "Well, I was thinking… could we? Could we go see him, our dad, when he was alive?"

Poppy shifted uncomfortably, her arms crossing over her chest, "Knew you and 'thinking' were a dangerous combination," she muttered.

The Doctor glanced at Poppy before he went back to eyeing the blond with a concerned frown creasing his brow, "Where's this come from, all of a sudden?"

"Alright then, if we can't, if it goes against the laws of time or something," Rose mumbled her throat tight with rising disappointment, "Then never mind," she shrugged as nonchalantly as she could manage, "We'll just leave it," she brought the frame back towards her.

"No, I can do anything," the Doctor replied and Rose's eyes jerked back to him with renewed hope in in their depths, "I'm just more worried about you."

"I wanna see him," Rose stated firmly and Poppy let out a sigh, scratching at her forehead as she frowned uncomfortably. Rose bit her lip again as her gaze shot to her twin, "Pop?" she asked, widening her eyes pleadingly.

"We don't have to if you don't want too," the Doctor assured the uncomfortable looking ginger.

Poppy eyed her twin, who was aiming her best puppy-dog eyes at her, before she looked away, catching her lower lip between her teeth as she frowned uneasily, before she blew out a breath her gaze going back to her twin, "When did you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking…" Rose hesitated slightly, "The day he and mum got married," she divulged, smiling hopefully at her twin.

Poppy nodded thoughtfully, her arms uncrossing, "That sounds nice," she agreed, her lips quirking into a small smile, "I wouldn't mind getting to see that," she acknowledged and Rose positively beamed with delight.

The Doctor nodded, "Right then," he jumped up from the captains' chair, "Your wish is my command. But be careful what you wish for," he cautioned as he started up the engines of the Tardis pulling her out of an idle drift through the vortex as Rose rattled off the date Jackie and Pete got married and the place.

 ***O*O*O***

The trio sat at the back of a small crowd of people that had gathered in the registry office to witness the wedding of Peter Tyler and Jackie Prentiss. The two standing in front of the registrar that was presiding over the nuptials.

"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline, Angela, Suzette Prentiss…"

"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Suzanne… Suzette… Anita…" Peter fumbled with his nerves and he eyed his soon to be wife worriedly, before looking to the registrar in a silent bid for help as she narrowed her eyes dangerously at him.

Jackie huffed out a sigh and rolled her eyes, "Oh, just carry on. It's good enough for Lady Di," and Peter breathed a sigh of relief as the nuptials continued, without his fiery soon to be wife laying into him.

The Doctor grinned as he glanced at Poppy and Rose, the two watching their parents with rapt attention.

"Mum, never mentioned that," Poppy murmured quietly.

"Can't imagine it was the highlight of her day," the Doctor replied with an amused grin as his gaze turned back to Jackie and Peter.

"I thought he'd be taller," Rose admitted quietly, her gaze rivetted to her father as he stood living, breathing, before her very eyes.

"His hair looked redder in the pictures," Poppy murmured, her gaze going to his hair… so much thinner than hers.

"… to be my lawful wedded wife," the registrar continued the crisis adverted, "To love and behold 'til death do us part."

Rose looked down, biting her lower lip as she remembered again, just how little time her mum and dad had had together before he was hit by that car… dying alone…

Poppy glanced at her twin, took one look on the expression on her face and reached out, taking her hand and squeezing.

 ***O*O*O***

"He died so close to home," Jackie sighed, the twin's eyes rivetted on her, "Nobody was. It was a hit and run driver. Never found out who. He was dead when the ambulance got there," Poppy shifted throwing her arms about her mum hugging her tightly and burying her face in her shoulder. Jackie's arm coming up to wrap around her. Whilst Rose stared at her solemnly. Jackie sighed sadly, her eyes watering a little, stroking her hand through Poppy's ginger locks, "I only wish there'd been someone there for him."

 ***O*O*O***

"I want to be that someone," Rose admitted, the trio back in the console room of the Tardis. Poppy stiffened with incredulous alarm her gaze shooting to her twin, something Rose ignored as she stared at the Doctor, "So he doesn't die alone."

Poppy shook her head, "You can't be serious!"

"I am," Rose retorted, her own gaze shooting to her twin's, brown eyes defiant.

"You're talking about watching him die!" Poppy exclaimed.

"He shouldn't die alone!" Rose shouted in response.

Poppy looked away; her hands clenched tight around her arms as she crossed them protectively over her chest.

"Please, Pop," Rose pleaded her tone gentling, reaching out a hand to touch her twin's tense upper arm, "I need to do this."

Poppy swallowed heavily, her gaze going back to her twin, eyeing the blond taking in her sombre expression, her own tight with emotion, "Do you?"

Rose nodded solemnly but no less adamantly, "I do."

Poppy blew out a sighing breath and shook her head, her gaze going to the Time Lord that was eyeing them with a quietly solemnity of his own, "Doctor?"

The Time Lord sighed, "We can go…" he murmured with some reluctance as his gaze moved from Rose to Poppy and back again, "If that's what you want?"

"Do what you want," Poppy said tightly as she glanced at her twin brown eyes pained, before she shook her head, "But I can't," she stated firmly, lower lip trembling as she blinked rapidly, "I know my limits… and I can't watch him…" she swallowed heavily past the painful lump in her throat and shook her head, "I just can't," she turned and walked from the console room, her legs feeling oddly weak and heavy and stiff like led at the same time. Not looking back at the two in the console room, the Doctor staring after her with concern.

Rose swallowed, tearing her gaze from her twin's back, her heart heavy in her chest having hoped Poppy would want to come too. The ginger was her rock. She focused her solemn gaze on the Time Lord, "Doctor?" she called and the Time Lord tore his gaze from the staircase Poppy had disappeared up, "I want to go, please?"

The Doctor hesitated a moment, "If we do this," he began slowly eyeing Rose seriously, "You have to promise to do as I say."

Rose nodded, "I promise."

The Doctor eyed her for a moment longer, their eyes meeting, before he sighed out a quiet breath and got up from the captain's chair, approaching the console, "November the 7th?" he sought to confirm as he started moving his hands over the controls.

"1987," Rose confirmed, fidgeting slightly with nerves and apprehension, suddenly anxious about what she was about to have to see… she grasped the console's rim tightly as the rotor started rising and falling as the engines lurched to life. Wishing that Poppy was with her – her twin always managed to give her confidence.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy paused in her stride as the Tardis lurched beneath her feet, throwing a hand out to catch herself against the wall as the ship shook as she travelled through time and space. She bit her lower lip harshly as the shaking suddenly stopped a short moment later, before she carried on down the corridor.

She came to a stop outside the door to the room she'd fondly named 'the gymnasium', practically throwing the door open in her agitation and stalking inside. The ginger moving to tie her hair back as she did so, her brown gaze focused on the punching bag. The door swung closed behind her with a soft click.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose stepped out of the Tardis, and glanced about the sunny day she'd stepped out into, "That's so weird," she muttered as the Doctor came up beside her, "The day my father died… I thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy. It's just an ordinary day."

"The past is another country. 1987's just the Isle of Wight," the Doctor replied, before he looked down at Rose eyeing her with concern, "Are you sure about this?"

Rose nodded firmly, "Yeah."

 ***O*O*O***

On Jordan Road, the Doctor and Rose stood at a curb of the pavement. Rose felt her heart beat escalating in her chest as they waited, "This is it. Jordan Road," she murmured heavily, "He was late. He'd been to get a wedding present, a vase. Mum always said, that stupid vase," she said, her voice tight as her throat constricted with emotion and unshed tears as a car rounded the corner. A car that's description she'd recognize anywhere. She took a shaky breath, vehemently wishing that Poppy was there as she stared at the car, at her dad seated behind the wheel, "He got out of his car…"

The car pulled over to the side of the road.

"…And crossed the road."

The car came to a complete stop.

"Oh, God. This is it," she whimpered.

The Doctor linked his hand through hers offering what little comfort he could to his blond companion as they watched Pete get out of his car, vase in hand. Completely unaware that a car had just rounded the corner, the driver distracted.

Pete's eyes widened in shock as he froze in place as he noticed the car too late. The driver threw up a hand to cover his eyes…

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy frowned, her face pinched with effort as she worked the punching bag with determination. Trying to take her mind off where the Tardis was parked… what was happening outside right now – the crash that was about to happen. The crash that'd take her dad away from her before she ever really got to know him.

She swallowed heavily her movements faltering. She gritted her teeth and redoubled her efforts, her knuckles beginning to throb dully as they connected with the heavy bag.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose hid her face in the Doctor's shoulder, stifling a sob at the sound of the collision all but slammed into her. Tears welling hotly in her eyes as she lifted her head from his shoulder and saw the man who'd been so full of life just moments ago twitching on the road, the vase he'd gone to pick up in pieces.

"Go to him. Quick," the Doctor urged when the blond didn't move, but Rose couldn't. Her feet were glued to the spot, before she turned, her feet unsticking as she fled away from her dad's broken body, her tears beginning to fall. Leaving the concerned Doctor to take one last glance at Pete before he chased after her.

 ***O*O*O***

"It's too late now," Rose murmured miserably as she leaned against a wall as the sound of an ambulance's sirens filled the air, "By the time the ambulance got there, he was dead," she took a shuddering breath as she started to pull herself together just a little. She focused her gaze on the Doctor who was leaning against the wall beside her, "He can't die on his own," she swallowed thickly, "Can I try again?"

The Doctor stared down at her, hesitating even longer than he had the first time as his eyes met hers. His blue gaze conflicted as he stared at her tearful, heartbroken face. It had been a risky idea the first time… but it was a plain bad idea to put them there twice… he was tempted to say 'no' but looking at Rose as she was right now… he couldn't deny her the opportunity to try again. To get it right. And, he had her promise to do as he said. So, he nodded heavily once and started back for the Tardis.

A tearful Rose falling into step with him…

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy shifted, angling her body so that she could land a sold kick to the punching back, the ginger giving her hands a rest, only to stumble and fall to the ground. Her centre of balance completely thrown off as the Tardis suddenly lurched and shook.

The shaking stopped a moment later and Poppy lifted herself up onto her elbows, frowning with confusion as she glanced about the space. Had they moved again? Did that mean it was over? Done? But… nothing was different. At least she didn't think it was. Her memory was still of her mum saying that her dad died alone.

Wasn't that supposed to change?

Poppy got up and dusted off her hands, starting towards the gym's door. She stepped out into the corridor and started back down it, making her way towards the console room. A moment later she descended the stairs and peered about the circular room to see it empty.

She sighed, rubbing at her forehead at she slumped down into one of the jump seats. Her gaze going to the photo frame that had been left face up on the seat. She picked it up and smiled down at the picture of her dad. The man she couldn't remember, who was so life like in her mind… the man who'd have been a great father. Who'd encourage her in her tinkering and lend an ear to her woes. Chase off boys…

She ran her fingers lightly over the laughing image of him. Would the real one measure up to the man she'd spent years of her life imagining? Poppy blinked a bit wetly, her gaze going to the closed Tardis doors, before back down at the picture that was resting on her lap, her fingers still holding it securely. She'd never know.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor and Rose peered around the corner. The Time Lord glanced at the blond briefly, before looking back to the street, "Right. That's the first us," he said as the other version of them came up to the curb. His instincts twitching unpleasantly at the sight of them, "It's a very bad idea, two sets of us being here at the same time," he warned her, turning his head to stare at Rose again trying to convey just how serious he was, "Just be careful that they don't see us. Wait 'til she runs off and he follows, then go to your dad," he instructed her as the car her father was driving pulled up to the curb a second time.

"Oh, God. This is it," they heard the First Rose whimper.

Rose swallowed, blood rushing in her ears, "I can't do this," she said desperately as her dad picked up the vase from the passenger seat.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, but this is the _last_ time we can be here," the Doctor warned her.

Rose stared at her father, barely hearing him as Pete got out of the car again. Her breaths coming heavily one thought hitting her out of the blue, making her forget everything else in that moment, _'I can stop it!'_

Then she was moving as fast as she could towards her Dad.

"Rose! No!" the Doctor shouted, eyes horrified, reaching out desperately to stop her, but it was too late, his grasping fingers desperately snatching at air. The blond was beyond listening to anything but the pounding desperation that was thrumming through her as she ran past the first set of themselves.

 ***O*O*O***

The lights in the Tardis dimmed and Poppy looked up from the photograph she'd been staring at to peer about the console room. Her brow furrowing slightly as she thought the wordless rhythmic humming seemed to darken in warning.

"Wha…?" she started to ask only to snap her jaw shut as she whirled for the console as it let out frantic warning beeps, "What's happening?!" she shouted with alarm as she ran over to the console, darting her gaze over the controls and the console's screen, having no clue what to do.

The doors suddenly flew open and Poppy glanced back at the console, and then up at the ship, before she darted for the open doors, the loud warning beeping following her. She dashed out of the open doors and jerked to a halt spinning with wide concerned eyes to stare at the Tardis the warning beeping cutting off as the doors slammed shut on her.

She swallowed, her breathes coming heavily from the suddenness of it all. She cautiously stepped closer to the Tardis that had effectively kicked her out and pressed her hands to the doors only for them to remain firmly shut.

She frowned in confusion… her hands splayed against the doors. What in the world was going on with her?

 ***O*O*O***

Rose collided solidly with her father to knock him out of the way of the oncoming car. The two of them tumbling to the ground as the car came flying past them.

Whilst the bewildered first set of the Doctor and Rose disappeared.

"I did it," Rose breathed as Pete Tyler got to his feet, "I saved your life!"

"Blimey!" Pete exclaimed, brushing himself off as Rose clambered to her feet, "Did you see the speed of it? Did you get his number?"

"I really did it!" Rose grinned, "Oh my God, look at you. You're alive!" she rambled not quite sure she could believe that she'd actually managed to do it, her eyes glued to her dad, "That car was gonna kill ya!"

"Give me some credit," Pete muttered as he eyed the blond, "I did see it coming. I wasn't going to walk under it, was I?"

"I'm Rose," she introduced herself, staring expectantly.

Pete blinked, "That's a coincidence. The name of one of my daughters is Rose."

"That's a great name," Rose grinned, "Good choice," she nodded, "Well done."

Pete stared at her, bemused and unsure of how to respond, "Right," he muttered, "I'd better shift. I've got a wedding to go to."

"Is that Sarah Clarke's wedding?" Rose asked, not wanting him to go just yet.

"Yeah," Pete nodded, shifting the vase under his arm, "Are you going?"

"…Yeah," Rose nodded.

"You and your boyfriend need a lift?" Pete asked and gestured to the man that was stood glowering at them from the corner.

Rose turned to look, beaming a joyful grin at the Time Lord not registering the dark look on his face as he stared at her.

 ***O*O*O***

Outside the Tardis, Poppy let out a startled cry as she tumbled backwards as the Tardis doors she'd been leaning against as she waited for the Doctor and her sister to come back suddenly opened inwards. Her head and back colliding solidly with the interior.

"Ow!" she muttered as she straightened up not registering that anything was wrong with what had happened, "Damn it," she started to turn, "What's wrong with yo…" she trailed as she completed her turn her hand stilling on the back of her head and her eyes widened with shock and horror at seeing the inside… an inside that looked like an ordinary phone booth.

She stepped inside, felt around, stepped out, rounded it, stepped back in and closed the door, before squeezing her eyes tightly shut, before opening them again. Only to see the same thing as before.

She stumbled backwards back out of the 'phone booth' her eyes still wide, her mouth agape with horror, "…shite!" she cursed.

 ***O*O*O***

"There we go," Pete Tyler said as he let his two guests into his flat, doing his best to ignore the tension that was just rolling off the man in waves, "Sorry about the mess," he placed the vase down next to the door, "If you want a cup of tea, the kitchen's just down there, milk's in the fridge… well, it would be, wouldn't it? Where else would you put milk? Mind you, there's always the window sill outside. I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yogurt… make a lot of money out of that," he rambled on, receiving a stilted polite nod from the man and a beaming grin from the blond that'd saved him.

"Sell it to students and things… I should write that down," he said thoughtfully, "Anyway, never mind that, excuse me a minute. Gotta go and change," he excused himself as he moved through a door, so that he could get ready for the wedding he was already late for.

Rose looked around at all the stuff that was littered around the room they were in, unable to stop grinning as she took all of it in, "All the stuff Mum kept. His stuff. She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard, she used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink," she rambled happily as the Doctor leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the blond darkly.

Rose oblivious to the tension in the room in her delight, as she stepped about the room fiddling with a couple of knickknacks that she'd only seen a few times out of the boxes her mum had packed them into, "Here it is. On display. Where it should be."

The Doctor remained silent, his jaw tight, staring at her angrily, watching as she picked up a trophy showing it off to him, "Third prize at bowling. First two he got to go to Didcot," she beamed ecstatically and examined the trophy in her hand for a couple of seconds more before she replaced it.

Her gaze was drawn to large bottles in the corner of the room and she bent down to examine them closer, "Health drinks. Tonics, mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs. He's so clever."

The Doctor continued to remain silent as he watched her moving about the room… the Time Lord's quiet anger mounting as it continued to simmer away, rising with every cheery word out of her mouth.

"Solar power," Rose exclaimed as she spotted some plans out on the table, beaming down at them with delight, "Mum said he was gonna do this. Now he can," she turned back to the Doctor, wide smile still in place… it faded slightly when he didn't return it… noticing, truly noticing that he wasn't pleased; happy for her. Like she'd been expecting, "Ok, look…" she tried to smooth things over, "I'll tell him you're not my boyfriend."

The Doctor slowly uncrossed his arms, a tick going in his jaw as he watched her through eyes narrowed with angry suspicion, "When we met, I said 'travel with me in space'. You said no. Then I said, 'time machine'."

"It wasn't some big plan," Rose said a little defensively at his tone, "I just saw it happening and I thought… I can stop it," she explained.

The Doctor shook his head a little self-deprecatingly, "I did it again. I picked another stupid ape," he sneered at her. He should have just been happy with Poppy. He had been happy with Poppy wanting to travel with him – he'd just seen the disappointment in the gingers face when Rose had said 'no' and he'd just thought 'why not', he'd liked the blond well enough after all, "I should have known," he sneered at himself, shooting Rose another dark angry look, feeling used and betrayed by her, "It's not about showing you the universe – it never is," his glare intensified, "It's about the universe doing something for you!"

"So, it's ok when you go to other times, and you save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad?!" Rose replied, her voice rising in pitch slightly as she felt her own anger flare. Not understanding 'why' he was so angry.

"I know what I'm doing," the Doctor retorted, "You don't! Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point."

"But he's alive!" Rose cried, glaring right back at him.

"My entire planet died," the Time lord glowered, "My whole family. Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?"

"It's not like I've changed history," Rose tried, a stirring of guilt rising in her stomach at the reminder of how much the Time Lord had lost, "Not much I mean… he's never going to be a world leader, he's not gonna start World War Three or anything…"

The Doctor sighed out a somewhat tired breath as he lifted his gaze to meet hers and took a few steps towards her, "Rose, there's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before. An ordinary man, that's the most important thing in creation," he tried to explain, to make her understand, "The whole worlds different because he's alive."

"What would you rather him dead?" Rose asked aghast, immediately on the defensive again, her glare returning full force.

The Doctor huffed in angry exasperation with her, glowering at her again. Did she really think that of him? That he wanted the man dead? "I'm not saying that…"

"No, I get it!" Rose cut him off angrily, not interested in listening, "Your scared you won't be the most important man in Poppy's life!"

The Doctor stilled, his body tensing further at the accusation, his gaze darkened furiously, "Let's see how you get on without me then," he retorted coolly, belying the anger simmering just under the surface as he held out his hand, "Give me the key," he demanded and Rose blinked dumbfounded for a moment, "The Tardis key," he expounded with irritation, "If I'm so insignificant, give me it back."

Rose stared at him surprised for a moment longer, before she narrowed her eyes again as she pulled the key out of her pocket, "Alright then, I will," she spat at him furiously, slapping the key back into his palm harshly.

"Well, you've got what you wanted so that's goodbye then," he stated flatly as he turned on his heel and stalked towards the door.

Rose pursued him a little alarmed at that, "You don't scare me," she cried and got in front of him, standing between him and the door, "I know how sad you are. How lonely! You'll be back in a minute with Poppy."

"Exactly," the Doctor retorted.

Rose paused, a little thrown, "What?"

"With Poppy," he elaborated.

Rose glowered at him, bristling angrily, "She's not gonna let you leave me here!" she yelled, "She'll blister your ears for even trying and make you wait for me!" she declared hotly, glaring up at him, even as a kernel of fear stirred at the dark look unwavering look he was levelling at her.

"She can blister them all she likes," the Time Lord sneered at her, hands clenched at his sides, fury boiling, "I only take the best," he continued coldly, "Thought you were – guess I was wrong," he remarked with a shrug, before stalked past her ignoring the hurt look that darted across her face as he did so.

Rose swallowed heavily and spun on her heel and stalked after him, "She'll make you stay and wait! You'll see," she shouted as he flung open the door and stepped out of it and continued on his way without a backwards glance, Rose's key tightly clasped in his hand, "And I'll make you wait a really long time!" she yelled hotly before slamming the door shut, her chest heaving with her anger and hurt.

Behind her, Pete poked his head out of his bedroom to peer at her, "Boyfriend trouble?"

Rose scowled as she turned leaning her back against the closed door, "He's not my boyfriend," she huffed and wiped at her eyes.

 ***O*O*O***

Absolutely fuming, the Doctor stalked out of the Powell Estate and out on the street heading for the Tardis and Poppy – the Time Lord unaware of an ominous, distorted, red hazed gaze watching him from the sky.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose shifted about the Tyler's living room, sweeping peanuts off the coffee table and depositing them back into their bowl as she tidied in her agitation. She wanted to call her sister, but she wasn't sure how… and yet she expected her phone to ring as Poppy brimmed with excited questions about what had happened…

Surely Poppy would be happy that their dad was alive. That she'd single handedly saved him. No matter what the Doctor had to say in the matter – And, Rose swallowed heavily. Her sister wouldn't let the Doctor take off in the Tardis without her. And, yet the fear lingered that the Doctor could have just swept into the Tardis and taken off without a word to Poppy beforehand. Rose bit her lip anxiously.

"Excuse me," Pete frowned as he stepped back out of his room and into the living area, dressed in his suit now, and Rose turned a bit startled, "Do you mind? What're you tidying up for?"

Rose glanced down at what she was doing, "Sorry…" she muttered and set the bowl down on the coffee table, "Force of habit."

"Listen, don't worry about him," Pete murmured, attempting to sooth the blond's hurt, and smiled reassuringly, "Couples have rows all the time."

Rose scowled and slumped down onto the couch, "We're not a couple," she informed him flatly, before she swallowed heavily again, "I think he left me…"

Pete sat down beside her, "What, a pretty girl like you? If I was going out with you…"

"Stop!" Rose exclaimed with alarm, "Right there!" she demanded.

Pete blinked at her thrown by her reaction, "I was just saying…"

"I know what you're saying, and we're not going there," she stated firmly, "At no point are we going anywhere near there. You are even aware that there exists."

Pete stared at her.

"I don't even want to think about there, and believe me, neither do you," Rose continued ignoring the look she was getting from her dad, "There… for you… is like… pfft, it's like the Bermuda Triangle," she cleared her throat, "Besides, he's not my boyfriend," she told him a third time, "If anything he's Poppy's. She's the one who likes him."

Pete blinked in surprise now, diverted for the moment, "Now there's a strange coincidence, that the name of my eldest. Well, I say eldest, but they're twins."

"What can I say," Rose attempted to shrug lightly, smiling a bit at him, wiping under her eyes again trying to chase away the feeling of tears. The blond glad for the change in subject, "You win at name choices," she sighed out a breath, before jumping to her feet and grabbed her jacket. She turned back to the couch, "Right," she offered him her arm, "Are we off?"

"So," Pete gestured to her offered arm, "That wouldn't be a mixed signal at all?"

"Absolutely not," Rose replied firmly.

Pete sighed and stood resignedly taking her offered arm, rather flummoxed by the woman who'd saved his life, "I'll take you back to the looney bin where you belong," he muttered as they walked towards the door, "Still," he eyed the blond with some confusion, "I'm sure I've met you somewhere before…"

 ***O*O*O***

"Watson, come here. We need you. Watson, come here. We need you. Watson, come here. We need you…"

Poppy scowled with frustration, "Will you stop saying that!" she jabbed her finger at the hang up button. She gave her mobile a sharp look, "Do what I need you too!" she demanded of it. Just what in the hell was going on?!

The still fuming Doctor rounded the corner his gaze landing on Poppy as she stood outside the Tardis, glowering at her phone. He huffed out a breath as he continued on down the path towards her, "So, she's called you, then?" he guessed.

Poppy's head snapped towards him at the sound of his voice, "What?!" she exclaimed with confusion, "No! It's the Tardis!" she cried hurrying towards him, even as the Doctor's steps picked up speed at the mention of his ship "She went crazy all of a sudden," the ginger hastened to explain as she grasped his arm and started back over to the phone box, "All but kicked me out and now…" she trailed.

"Now, what?" the Doctor demanded.

"This…" Poppy gestured at the inside of the still open doors of the ship as they came to a stop in front of it.

The Doctor stilled, his body tensing as he took in the sight of an ordinary police-box instead of the inside of his ship. He stepped inside, feeling about at the walls frantically, before he turned on his heel, "Rose!" he growled.

"Wha…?!" Poppy frowned as the Doctor grabbed her hand and ran back the way he'd come, "What about Rose?" she exclaimed with growing alarm as she ran with him, "Where is she?! Doctor, what's happening?!"

"I'll tell you what's happening!" the Doctor growled from between gritted teeth not pausing, "Your sister just ended the world!"

"What?!" Poppy shouted with disbelief her eyes wide as her steps faltered, "How? What?" she glanced around the still sunny street, "It doesn't look ended?!"

"Give it time! It will soon!" he exclaimed.

Poppy shook her head, "I don't understand! Doctor," she came to a stop, forcing him to stop, "What did she do?!"

The Doctor swiped an aggravated hand through his hair, "She's caused a wound in time!"

Poppy's eyes widened further, "I still don't understand… how could she do that? She was just going to sit by dad as he…" she swallowed heavily, "How could that…"

"She saved him!" the Doctor cut in.

"She what…?" Poppy mumbled, shaken, her eyes wide with shock and surprise.

"She saved him," he repeated, "I'm sorry," he added his tone gentling slightly as he shifted his grip on Poppy's hand as she gaped at him in continued shock, "But we've got to hurry," he glanced about at the sky, scanning it for a brief moment, "Now," he tightened his hand around hers, "Come on! Run!" he urged urgently, "Fast as you can!"

The two took off down the road again, running as fast as they could, the ginger quiet as she tried to process what she'd been told.

Her dad… was alive… And the world was ending because of it…

 ***O*O*O***

"I met this bloke at the horse's," Pete told Rose as he drove them to the wedding, "And he's cutting me in on copyright."

Rose eyed him with confusion, "But I thought you were a proper businessman and that…"

"I wish!" Pete exclaimed, "Oh, I do a bit of this, a bit of that. I scrape by."

"Right…" Rose trailed swallowing hard, "So," she cleared her throat a bit, "I must've heard wrong. So, really, you're a bit of a… a Del Boy?"

"Oh, shoot me down in flames," Pete muttered, before he side-eyed Rose, "You're not related to my wife by any chance, are you?"

Rose's eyes widened and put a hand over her mouth, "Oh my God… she's gonna be at the wedding," and she still hadn't called Poppy – hadn't told her the good news.

"What, Jackie?" Pete questioned eyeing Rose once again, "Do you know her?"

Rose hesitated, "…sort of."

"What's she told you about me, then?"

Rose smiled, "She said she'd picked the most fantastic man in the world."

Pete shook his head, "Must be a different Jackie, then. She'd never say that," and Rose eyed him in confusion.

Silence descended between them for a brief moment, before the radio sprang to life, a rap song playing.

Pete grimaced, "This stuff goes right over my head."

Rose eyed it, her confusion growing, "That's not out yet."

Pete grimaced again, "It's a good job and all."

Rose reached for her mobile, "I'm just gonna check my messages."

"How'd you mean, messages?" Pete questioned and then blinked at the small device Rose had pulled out, "Is that a phone?"

"Yeah…" Rose replied distracted as she brought her phone up to her ear.

"Watson, come here. We need you. Watson, come here. We need you. Watson, come here. We need you…"

Roes frowned in confusion and glanced at her dad to see him glancing at her phone with equal confusion.

Pete glanced into the mirror his gaze landing on the travelling along behind him. It got closer before turning the corner and vanishing out of sight.

 ***O*O*O***

Sonny came down the steps, joining the other guests that were milling about outside the church, his brick mobile pressed to his ear, "Half the guests haven't turned up. You're better off not being here, it's a disaster in the making," he grumbled as a few guests started for entered the church, "No, in this case, knocked her up is a phrase I'd use."

"Watson, come here. We need you."

Sonny frowned in confusion, "Hello? Who is this?" he questioned and pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Watson, come here. We ne..."

Sonny hung up as a car with ribbons covering the bonnet pulled up outside the church.

"Dad," Stuart called as he came out of the church doors, "Get inside! We can't see the bride before the wedding, it's bad luck!"

"It was bad luck when you met her," Sonny remarked, "I tell you – this day is cursed."

Stuart turned and started back for the church doing his best to block his dad out, his father pursuing him.

Sarah Clarke stepped out of the car in her wedding dress.

"Now," Bev remarked with delight, "That's what I call a meringue."

"Listen," Suzie cut in, "Do what Stan said and go round the block, cos there's people missing."

Sarah frowned as she adjusted her train, "How do you mean, missing?"

"There's no Dave, no Sunita, no Bea…" Bev listed.

"There's no one from the Lamb and Flag, "Suzie cut in.

"Oh," Sarah sighed, "My train's detached again. I knew I should've used Velcro."

"I'm here," Jackie called as she stepped out of the car, "Stop your bellyaching," she turned to Bev, "Take the twins a sec, will you?" she asked handing the twin carry cot over.

"Oh," Bev cooed smiling down at the 6month old baby girls in the carry cot, "Ain't they pretty."

"They're little madams, that's what they are," Jackie replied as she and Bev made their way towards the church, "Oh, I need more hands. Where's their useless article of a dad got to?" she grumbled just as Pete drove around the corner.

 ***O*O*O***

"Dad!" Rose shrieked with alarm as the beige car suddenly appeared and drove straight towards them.

Pete yanked on the steering wheel, swerving into the kerb, but missing a tree, "It's that car!" Pete exclaimed as he turned in his seat to look after it whilst Rose stared straight ahead, shaken, "Same one as before!"

"It was right in front of us!" Pete continued as the two stepped out of the car, "Where's he gone?" he wondered before he turned to the blond stood beside him, eyeing her, "You called me dad. What did you say that for?"

"Oh, wonderful," a scathing familiar voice called and Rose turned to see her mum approaching the twin carry-tot in hand, "Here he is, the accident waiting to happen. You'd be late for your own funeral and it nearly was!"

"No damage done," Pete attempted to assure.

"And who's this?" Jackie questioned, eyeing the staring Rose with disdain, "What're you looking at with your mouth open?"

"Your hair," Rose replied before she could stop herself.

"What?!" Jackie scowled at her.

"I've never seen it like…" Rose trailed and took in her mum's confused and somewhat insulted expression, "I mean… it's lovely. Your hair's lovely…" she trailed her gaze going to the twin carry-tot, the two babies inside, herself and her sister. She took a few steps closer, "And… those babies you're holding…"

Jackie glanced at Pete, shifting the carry-tot closer to her protectively.

"Those would be yours…"

"Another one of yours, is she?" Jackie sneered at Pete.

"She saved my life!" Pete exclaimed.

"Oh, that's a new one," Jackie retorted with disbelief, "What was it last time?"

"I didn't even know her," Pete protested, "She was a cloakroom attendant. I was helping her look for my ticket. There were three duffel coats all the same. Somehow the rack collapsed. We were under all this stuff…"

"Were you playing around?!" Rose asked, her eyes wide and accusing.

Jackie eyed her disdainfully, "What's it got to do with you what he gets up to?"

"What does he get up to?!" Rose asked her voice rising almost hysterically, wishing that Poppy were here.

"You'd know," Jackie retorted.

"Oh, cos I'm that stupid," Pete huffed, "I play around and bring her to meet the missus. You silly cow…"

"But you are that stupid!" Jackie glowered at him.

Rose looked from one to the other with wide eyes, not wanting to believe what she was witnessing. It was right! None of it!

"Can we keep this stuff back home just for now?" Pete asked.

"What, with the rest of the rubbish?" Jackie retorted, "You bring home cut-price detergents, tonic water, Betamax tapes and none of it works. I'm drowning in your rubbish," she turned to the young pretty blond he'd arrived with, "What did he tell you? Did he say he's this big businessman, cos he's not. He's a failure. Born failure that one. Poppy and Rose need a proper father, not one who's flannelling about like some big kid…"

"Jackie," Pete talked over her, "I'm making a living, it keeps us fed, don't it?"

"Stop it!" Rose cried and the two turned to her. she stared at them completely upset, "You're not like this. You love each other!"

Jackie rolled her eyes, "Oh Pete. You never used to like them mental. Or I dunno," she eyed him, "Maybe you did."

"Jackie, wait, just listen…"

"If you're not careful, there'll be a wedding and a divorce on the same day," Jackie cut him off before she turned and walked away as the twins started to cry.

"Right," Pete turned to the Rose stood beside him, "Wait here. Give us a couple of minutes with the missus," he started to walk away, but turned back again, taking the vase she was holding and giving her his car keys instead, "Tell you what, straighten the car up. Stick her round the corner or something. Don't cause anymore trouble…"

Rose swallowed heavily tears welling in her eyes as she watched her dad walk away from her, following after her mum. Their angry exchange ringing in her ears.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose stood at a distance from her parents, her gaze locked on them, watching them as she watched them talking.

"I'm not listening," Jackie shook her head at him, the woman no longer spitting mad but sad, "It's just the duffel coats all over again."

"Jackie, sometimes a duffel coat is just a duffel coat," Pete assured her like he had whenever Jackie had brought it up in the past, "Things will get better soon, I promise."

"I've had enough of all your daft schemes," Jackie muttered as Pete put a hand on her shoulder, "I never know where the next meal's coming from."

"I'll get it right, love," Pete pleaded with her, "One day soon, I promise you. I'll get it right. Come on…"

Rose smiled softly, something in her heart easing at seeing them talking softly to each other… seeing something of the love that she'd always been so sure that they had for each other.

"Monsters!" a young Mickey cried as he ran towards the church and past the older Rose, drawing her attention from her parents, "Coming to eat us!"

"What sort of monsters, sweetheart? Is it aliens?" Suzie called over to him with a laugh.

Mickey didn't answer, to intent on getting himself into the church. Rose stared after him a small frown of concern on her face.

"Rose!" she heard the familiar voice of the Doctor. Rose smiled in relief; he hadn't left! She knew Poppy wouldn't let him! She turned to see him and Poppy racing towards her and her smile dissolved into a frown again. What?

"Get in the church!" he shouted at her, before he looked to the left. The expression on his face making Rose turn to look and her eyes widened in terror at the large birdlike alien thing that appeared seemingly out of nowhere…

"Ro!" Poppy breathed horrified and she ran, her pounding over the ground as she dashed towards her twin. Her heart pounding with fear as she crossed the distance between them, adrenaline thumping through her veins. Her gaze locked on her sisters frozen form, "Move Ro! Move… just-!" but she stood frozen, terrified.

Poppy felt her ankle roll as her foot hit a loose stone on the ground a couple of steps from her sister. She threw her arms out in front of her, pushing them forward with all her might as her steps faltered, shoving her twin out of the way instead of tackling her as she'd originally intended. She turned with her continued momentum her gaze landing on the large alien birdlike creature as it hissed, her eyes wide with fear as it swooped down on her.

Rose stared from where she lay on the ground, her eyes wide with disbelief at the spot her sister had disappeared as above her the creature shrieked and wended through the air, disappearing like it had never been there at all.

She swallowed heavily as she got to her feet, her wide eyes going to the Doctor who was slowly clambering to his feet the Time Lord having made a desperate lunge for the ginger despite realising that he wasn't going to make it to her in time. His face blank as he stared at the spot Poppy had been just a moment ago.

"What happened to her?!" Rose demanded of him as she stepped over to him. She grasped his arms tightly when he didn't acknowledge her, "Doctor, where's my sister?!" she scowled her voice rising hysterically, "What happened to Pop?!"

The Doctor swallowed thickly, blood rushing loudly through his ears, not wanting to believe what had happened. Willing her to reappear, silently cursing himself for not moving faster, for not getting to her in time to save her. He'd promised to protect her and now… now she was dead. Dead for real this time – nothing he could do.

Two more of the creatures appeared in the sky, the terrified screams had the Doctor jerking and he turned, "Get in the church!"

"My sister!" Rose shouted at him.

He glanced at her swallowing heavily, teeth gritting as he stared at the wide-eyed Rose, "She's gone!"

"Gone…" Rose repeated numbly, "No," she shook her head, "She can't be gone! Doctor, she can't be!"

The Doctor stared at her quietly, blue eyes pained, his hearts so heavy in his chest, clenching painfully because she was. Poppy who'd wanted to see so many places, experience so many things was gone.

The guests that had made a mad scramble for the church, where stopped short of the door as another of the creatures appeared before them. "Oh, my God. What are they?" Suzie cried out in terror, the commotion drawing the attention of the guests who were inside the church, curiosity making them emerge out onto the steps of the church.

"Inside!" the Doctor shouted, turning from Rose to try and usher the guests in the church as others tried to peer out.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted, clutching at his arm tightly.

He turned back to her, levelling a stern uncompromising look on the blond, his eyes meeting her wide desperate ones, determined to convey just how serious he was. He had no time and no desire to argue with her. His hearts clenched painful, Poppy was gone, "Inside!" he demanded, pushing her towards the doors ahead of him.

"Sarah!" Stuart shouted.

"Stay in there!" the Doctor shouted as more guests tried to come out, Sonny, to terrified to listen tried to make a run for it. Only for the creature above them to swoop down, covering the man's body with his wings.

Sarah completely horrified, turned and tried to run for the church, only for the strange creature to drop down in front of her. She screamed terrified, only for the creature to shift targets… moving for the priest instead.

"In!" the Doctor urged, pushing Rose inside the building before him along with the rest of the wedding guests that were still outside the church. He turned and swiftly moved to shut the church doors as another creature swooped down towards them. He slammed them shut just in time and the creature let out a terrible scream as it was brought up short by the sturdy old doors.

"They can't get in. Old windows and doors, ok. The older something is, the stronger it is," he said thinking quickly as he observed the shadows of the Reapers as they flew about outside the church, searching for a way in, "What else?" he muttered as a Reaper screeched, "Go and check the other doors! Move!" he ordered, before he turned away his gaze briefly sweeping over Rose as she stood stock still and pale faced, a hand pressed over her mouth, as he did so. He moved off his mind still racing, trying to think past the fact that he'd lost Poppy whilst he'd been right there – mere inches away from her.

He had to think… if he could just think – maybe he could… but how? His Tardis was gone and there was no one else.

"What's happening?" Jackie demanded to know as she followed after him, "What are they?" she grabbed his arm forcing him to pay attention to her, jerking the Time Lord from his thoughts, "What are they?"

"There's been an accident in time, a wound in time. They're like bacteria, taking advantage," he replied gravely.

Jackie frowned at him, "What do you mean, time?" she huffed, "What're you jabbering on about, time?"

The Doctor shot her an irritated look, in no mood, "Oh, I might've known you'd argue. Jackie, I'm sick of you complaining..."

"How'd you known my name?" Jackie asked, cutting over him in her confusion as she eyed him. Frown deepening.

"I haven't got time for this," the Doctor continued talking over her, his annoyance growing at every second passing.

"I haven't met you in my life!" Jackie carried on talking over him in turn.

"No, and you never will unless I sort this out. Now, if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this, Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go, and, check, the, doors!" he ordered and pointed in a direction of a set of doors, his voice loud and commanding, brooking no further disagreements. He had to think! Had to think of something.

Jackie stared at him stunned, "Yes, sir," she mumbled, before she turned walked off to do as she'd been told.

"Should have done that ages ago," the Doctor muttered, before his gaze caught on the groom as he approached him.

"My dad was out there."

"You can mourn him later," the Doctor murmured not unkindly, "Right now we've got to concentrate on keeping ourselves alive."

"My dad had…" Stuart tried.

The Doctor shook his head, apologetically, "There's nothing I can do for him," nothing he could do for Poppy either.

Stuart shook his head, "No. But he had this phone thing," he persisted, "I can't get it to work. I keep getting this voice…" he explained and let the Doctor take the device from his hand.

The Time Lord rapidly dialled a number and held the brick of a phone up to his ear and his brows rose in surprise at the voice on the other end.

"Watson, come here. We need you. Watson, come here. We need you."

"That's the very first phone call, Alexander Graham Bell," he confirmed for her as he handed the phone back to the confused and grieving groom, "I don't think the telephone's going to be much use."

"But someone must call the police!" the groom called after the Doctor as he turned to continue on his way through the church.

The Doctor turned back, "Police can't help you now. No-one can," he told him grimly, "Nothing in this universe can harm those things. Time's been damaged and they've come to sterilize the wound."

Rose swallowed thickly, her gaze fixed on the Doctor from where she was standing watching, listening, guilt clawing its way up her throat to form a harsh painful lump as the Doctor looked at her, paid her any kind of attention since he'd ushered her into the church. Her already wide wet eyes widening further as he continued.

"By consuming everything in sight."

"Is this because…" she began shakily as the Doctor continued to stare at her, the open anger gone but simmering behind his blue eyes, "Is this my fault?" he didn't reply only stared at her a moment longer, a look that told her without room for misinterpretation that yes, it was.

The Doctor turned away from her without a word, his spine stiff as he moved to walk off once again to search out more entry points into the church, no body moving to stop him this time.

Not far away Pete Tyler looked from the Doctor to the young woman named Rose and back again, before looking down at his twin 6 months old, the two gurgling up at him happily, thinking to the short glimpse he'd had of a ginger haired young woman that had jumped in front of the Rose stood not far from him, before she'd disappeared. His gaze going to the small fine ginger hair that was peeking out from under Poppy's beanie. Before he shook it off, it wasn't possible – was it? His gaze drifted from his babies to Rose and then back again.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor entered the anteroom, pausing briefly as his gaze landed on Pete Tyler as he checked the doors where secure. His hands clenching briefly at his sides, before he continued on towards the window, peering out it to the street beyond.

"There's smoke coming up from the city by no sirens," Pete told him urgently as he came to stand beside the Doctor, "I don't think it's just us I think these things are all over the place. Maybe the whole world."

The Doctor remained silent as he stared out the window, his jaw clenching as he watched the beige car as it appeared out of thin air, tyres screeching as it rounded the corner. The driver throwing his hand up over his face as it disappeared. Only to reappear again, the cycle repeating again and again without stopping.

Pete glanced at the window and caught the tail end of the car just before it disappeared, "Was that a car?"

The Doctor paused, hesitating, hearts heavy in his chest. He swallowed heavily, "It's not important," he stated, barely sparing a glance at Pete, "Don't worry about it," he added as he turned and walked back out of the anteroom.

Pete looked after him briefly, before he looked back out the window. His gaze catching sight of the beige car as it did its circuit once again.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose sat alone, near the alter, her shoulders slumped miserably as outside the Reapers clambered against the stain glass windows. She stared blankly at a random spot, her mind going over and over that moment. The creature bearing down on her, hitting the ground and then turning to see it consuming Poppy. Her twin gone in the blink of an eye – and it was her fault. Everything was just – it had all gone so wrong!

"This mate of yours…" the voice of her dad had her head shooting up, her gaze landing on him as he approached her. His hands in his pockets, "What did he mean, this is your fault?"

"Dunno…" Rose shrugged miserably, "Just…" she sniffled, "Everything."

"I gave you my car keys," Pete stated and Rose stared at him through eyes red from tears, "You don't give your keys to a complete stranger. It's… it's like I trusted you. Moment I met you, I just did. A wound in time…" Pet trailed thinking.

Rose chewed her lower lip, still watching him as he thought, working it out.

"You called me dad. I can see it... My eyes… Jackie's attitude... You sound like her when you shout…" he reached out and tentatively touched her cheek, before lowering his hand again only for Rose to snatch it up and hold it there again, pressing it against her damp cheek, "You are… you are. You're my Rose. You're my Rose all grown up."

Rose nodded, a sob escaping her.

Pete swallowed, "You mentioned Poppy…" Rose stilled, her breath hitching painfully in her throat as the lump there seemed to throb angrily, "She… she was the woman that jumped in front of you…" Pete stared at her searching his grown daughters face, "Didn't she?"

Rose sobbed, shoulders shaking, "Y-Yeah," her lower lip trembled, "That was her… I'm sorry. I didn't… she's gone."

Pete pulled her into a hug, his expression pained, heart breaking for his grown daughter, both of them.

Rose buried her face in his shoulder as she cried, desperately wanting her sister back, even as she clung to her dad, holding him to her like a lifeline.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor rushed around the main area of the church, checking for any possible exists, anything that he'd miss that'd allow the Reapers to get inside the old building. As they butted and rammed against the church, searching for a way in.

The anxious bride and groom approached him, "Excuse me! Mr…" Stuart called.

"Doctor," he replied distracted.

"You seem to know what's going on."

"I give that impression, yeah," the Doctor agreed as he checked a lock making sure it was secured.

"I just wanted to ask…"

"Can you save us?" Sarah cut across her husband-to-be.

Those words made the Doctor pause and he turned to face the couple, switching off his sonic as he moved towards them. Tired, pained eyes kind, but sad as he observed them, "Who are you two, then?"

"Stuart Hoskins."

"Sarah Clarke."

The Doctor smiled slightly and nodded towards Sarah's bump, "And one extra. Boy or girl?"

Sarah ran her hands over her rounded belly maternally, "I don't know. I don't want to know, really."

"How'd all this get started then?" the Doctor asked.

Sarah glanced over at Stuart with a fond smile, one which he returned before replying, "Outside the Big Box Club. Two in the morning."

"Street corner," Sarah added with a touch of a smile, "I'd lost my purse. Didn't have money for a taxi."

"I took her home," Stuart said, voice fond.

"Then what?" the Doctor smirked, "Asked her for a date?"

"Wrote his number on the back of my hand," Sarah agreed with a nod.

"Never got rid of her since," Stuart said with a smile, "My dad said…" he faltered, face falling and Sarah's lip trembled.

Outside the Reapers screeched loudly.

"I don't know what this is all about," Sarah said as she did her best to fight back tears, "And I know we're not important…"

"Who said you're not important?" the Doctor asked genuinely shocked that she'd think that, "I've travelled to all sorts of places. Done things you couldn't even imagine, but… you two… street corner. Two in the morning. Getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that," he told them, his throat tightening as a flash of long ginger hair with a white streak at the front flashed through his minds eye, his hearts clenching painfully, "Yes," he said, his lips twitching into a small tight smile, "I'll try and save you," and Sarah smiled back through her tears.

And he would. He'd try with everything he had to give – even if he didn't have a clue as to how he could. And all he seemed to be able to think about was Poppy, being devoured by the Reaper. Sterilized off the face of the Earth. Mere inches from him. His fingers trembled around his sonic screwdriver and he tightened his grip.

 ***O*O*O***

"I'm a dad," Pete murmured, still trying to wrap his head around it whilst seated beside him Rose sniffled, "I mean, I'm already a dad, but… my daughters grow up. And Rose is you. That's wonderful. I suppose I thought that you'd be a bit useless, what with my useless genes and all, but…" he trailed as Rose shook her head.

"You said it. I'm all Jackie," Rose gave a small wet chortle, wiping at her eyes again, "Pop – she, she's more you… was," Rose swallowed heavily.

"Ah," Pete murmured looking away, his heart sinking in his chest again at the knowledge that one of his grown daughters was dead, "I should find time and apologise to her for that," he murmured thinking of his red headed baby, who'd grow up to be more like him.

Rose shook her head, "She's brilliant! Always tinkering with things… and ideas," she choked, "Obsessed with the idea of getting out there and seeing things," she plucked dully at the end of her sleeve, "She was the bravest out of the two of us. Always looking out for me."

Pete nodded, "That's good to hear. Sisters should look out for each other."

"Looking out for me got her killed!" Rose exclaimed her tone rising, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, "It's my fault!"

"Hey, now," Pete placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezing, "Of course it's not."

Rose shook her head, "It should have been me."

"Don't say that," Pete said firmly, "I'm sure your sister. If she's got anything of Jackie in her would smack you stupid if she could hear you."

Rose let out a weak laugh, "She'd make it hurt. And I'd be seeing stars," she wiped at her eyes again, "Mum got her lessons."

Pete blinked in surprise, "What? In how to fight?"

"Yeah. Well defend herself. She always wanted to travel," she shrugged a bit helplessly, plucking at her sleeve again, "So mum demanded."

Pete smiled a bit, "I bet she did," he shook his head and silence fell between them and he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before he looked at Rose again, eyes curious, "How did you get here?"

Rose looked at him, "Do you really wanna know?"

"Yeah!" Pete nodded.

"A time machine," Rose admitted.

Pete stared at her stunned, "Time machine," he repeated.

Rose smiled, "Cross my heart."

"What," Pete returned his grown daughter's small smile, "Do you all have time machines where you come from?"

"Nah," Rose shook her head, "Just the Doctor."

"Did you know these things were coming?" Pete asked, curious as to why his children had even come to the past in the first place.

"No."

"God, I dunno," Pete muttered incredulous, "My heads spinning," he continued and Rose looked down, "What's the future like?"

Rose shrugged a bit, unsure of what to say, "It's not so different."

"What am I like?" Pete asked, eyeing Rose curiously. The blond had mentioned Jackie a lot but not him… not yet, "Have I gone grey?" he laughed as Rose stared at him quietly, "Have I gone bald? Don't tell me I've gone bald."

Rose remained silent staring at him a moment longer before looking away, throat bobbing as she swallowed heavily.

Pete cleared his throat, wrong-footed by her silence, "So, if this mate of yours isn't your boyfriend, and I have to say, I'm glad, cos being your dad and all, I think he's bit old for you…" he trailed as Rose let out a snort.

"I think he hates me, right now," she muttered lowly, her throat tightening, "And I told you, he's Poppy's boyfriend."

Pete scowled looking towards the door as if the Doctor was present, "That's hardly better! Poppy's only a half hour older than you and he's what 40?"

Rose let out a choked sound, "Something like that," she shook her head, "And, he's only sorta," she amended, "Or he was…" she swallowed heavily, he had to hate her right about now, "They weren't really. I don't think. They'd just flirt a lot. Poppy was mad about him, not that she'd have admitted it. But I could tell," she smiled sadly, "She'd light up when he was around…" Rose trailed off.

"What about him?" Pete asked eyeing Rose, "Does he like her?"

Rose shrugged helplessly, "Dunno. I think so. Like I said, they'd flirt," she focused her gaze on her dad again, "And, I mean, he let her help him repair his time machine so…"

Pete nodded still frowning towards the door as he absorbed that, not exactly pleased, "He's still too old for her," he grumped.

Rose sighed and wiped at her eyes again, "Doesn't matter now…" she mumbled dejectedly.

Pete swallowed and pulled his gaze from the direction of the door and eyed Rose again, "What about you? You got a bloke?"

Rose hesitated, "No," she finally replied, "I did have…"

"Mickey!" Jackie shouted as the young Mickey ran into the room, making a beeline for Rose and throwing his arms around her legs. His eyes screwed tightly shut.

"Do you know him?" Pete asked as he watched Rose as she eyed the young Mickey with something like surprise.

"I just didn't recognise him in a suit…" Rose muttered with a small nod, "You have to let go of me, sweetheart…" she trailed as Mickey reluctantly let go of her and darted over to Jackie as she entered the room, "I'm always saying that…" she mumbled under her breath inwardly cringing – Poppy would kill her if she was here… well, she'd be glowering at her, steam coming out her ears. God, what she wouldn't give for her sister to be able to glower at her right now.

Jackie put an arm around Mickey's shoulders, "He just grabs hold of what's passing and holds on for dear life. God, help his poor girlfriend if he ever gets one."

"Me and Rose were just talking…" Pete started as Jackie eyed him.

"Oh, yeah? Talking? While the world come to an end, what do you do?" she huffed disdainfully, "Cling to the youngest blond," she turned her gaze to the little boy she had an arm around, whilst Rose stared upset at the return of tension between her parents, "Come on, Mick."

Pete got up, making to follow as Jackie took Mickey's hand and led him from the room, only for Rose to grab his arm.

"You can't tell her."

Pete gave her a look full of confusion, "Why?"

"I mean…" Rose swallowed giving her dad a pleading look, "I really don't want you to tell her."

"What," Pete began with confusion, "Do you don't want people to know?"  
"Where I come from," Rose glanced in the direction her mum had gone, "Jackie, doesn't know how to work the timer on the video recorder."

Pete grinned with amusement, "I showed her that last week," Rose nodded and his smile faded, "Point taken."

 ***O*O*O***

"Now, Rose…" the Doctor said to one of the twin tiny babies in their double carry-tot, "You're not gonna bring about the end of the world, are you?" he asked her and got a small gurgle and baby smile as she stared up at him, "Are you?" he asked more sternly and got another baby noise. His gaze was drawn to Poppy as she gurgled at him and he frowned, "I'm not picking on her!" he refuted and got another gurgle, "I am not a _meanie_!" he grumped and baby Poppy kicked her legs that were trapped beneath her swaddling blanket up at him another baby noise escaping her. He heard footsteps approaching him and he glanced to the side to see the 19 year old Rose coming towards him, "Jackie gave them to me to look after," he muttered turning his gaze back down to the babies, reaching a hand out to gently tickle baby Poppy under her chin as she kicked her swaddled legs at him again getting a baby laugh, "How times change."

"I'd better be careful," Rose murmured still tearful, but attempting a light hearted conversation, wanting to distract herself from everything that had gone so horribly wrong – that her sister wasn't gone and that things were ok between her and the Doctor, "I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken," she reached out to touch her baby self.

The Doctor grabbed her arm firmly by the wrist and pushing it down and away from the baby Rose, "No," he stated firmly, staring at the blond seriously as her gaze shot to him startled, "Don't touch baby Rose," he said sternly frowning at her as the Reapers outside gave a particularly loud screech as if sensing what had almost happened, "You're both the same person and that's a paradox, and we don't want a paradox happening. Not with these things outside. Anything new, any disturbance in time makes them stronger. The paradox might let them in."

Rose lowered her hand, "Can't do anything right, can I?" she muttered miserably.

"Since you ask, no. So, don't… touch… the… baby," he said slowly, spacing out the words like he was speaking to a dimwit.

Rose narrowed her eyes catching the tone, "I'm… not… stupid."

"You could've fooled me," the Doctor retorted coolly, turning away from her stiffly as Rose looked away from him, eyes downcast as she swallowed back the hurt his words inflicted on her already bleeding heart. She swallowed heavily, slowly turning her gaze back to the Doctor who still had his back to her – tickling baby Poppy as she gurgled up at him, "I'm sorry," she sniffled and the Time Lord's stiff back stiffened further, "I really am."

"No," he replied coolly as he turned back to her, "You're not," he stated and Rose flinched, "You're just sorry that it's gone wrong. And now…" he trailed his gaze going to the windows as the Reapers outside screeched loudly again as they continued trying to get in, before looked back down at baby Poppy. His hearts clenching as she smiled up at him happily oblivious as to what was happening – that she was dead long before her time.

Rose's gaze lowered, going to her baby self before focusing on baby Poppy. Shifting, stepping closer to her, the Time Lord shooting her a dark wary glance, "She's really gone," Rose swallowed heavily, "Isn't she?"

"Yeah," the Doctor all but whispered the confirmation.

"Isn't there something we coul…" Rose trailed off heavily as the Time Lord shook his head in the negative.

"I haven't got a plan," he admitted, the words physically paining him in that moment, "No idea. No way out."

Rose attempted to smile, but the attempt fell short as she crossed her arms miserably over her chest, "You'll think of something."

The Doctor shot her a look, why couldn't she just listen to what he was saying for once, "The entire Earth's been sterilised. This," he looked about the old church, "And other places like it, are all that's left of the human race," he said seriously, "We might hold out for a while, but nothing can stop those creatures," he turned his gaze to the windows as the large shadows swooped past as the creatures continued circling, "They'll get through in the end," he murmured solemnly, "The walls aren't that old. And there's nothing I can do to stop them," he breathed out a pained sigh, "There used to be laws stopping this kind of thing from happening, my people would have stopped this. But they're all gone. And now I'm going the same way."

"If I'd realized…" Rose murmured guiltily.

The Doctor snapped his eyes to her, gaze flinty, "If you'd just listened to me. Kept your promise…" he swallowed forcing himself to swallow back the wrathful words that were wanting to spill out as Rose ducked her head.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," Rose cried, before she lifted her head shiny wet eyes meeting his begging him to believe her, "I really didn't."

The Doctor blew out a slow breath, anger still simmering hotly just beneath the surface, "I believe you," he gritted before turning away from the miserable young woman, his gaze once again going to the two 6 month old's in their carry-tot.

Behind him, Rose swallowed heavily, her eyes on the Time Lord's back feeling no more forgiven than before she'd walked over. She blinked in confusion as the Doctor suddenly let out a pained hiss from between clenched teeth, "What?" she asked with confusion as he delved a hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out something small that was glowing.

"Ah, hot!" the Doctor hissed as he dropped it, before his eyes widened with surprise and the beginnings of elation. He swiftly bent down, "It's the Tardis key!" he shrugged off his jacket and used it to pick up the glowing hot key, "It's telling me it's still connected to the Tardis!" he grinned at it before he turned and ran for the front of the church, leaving the 19 year old Rose to stare after him morosely.

The Doctor came to a stop above the alter and turned to address the guests that had been invited to the wedding, holding the Tardis key aloft, "The inside of my ship was thrown out of a wound, but we can use this to bring it back. And once I've got my ship back, then I can mend everything. Now, I just need a bit of power. Has anyone got a battery?"

Stuart glanced over at his father's phone that was sitting on the chair in front of him. He snatched it up and showed it to the Doctor, "This one big enough?" he asked.

The Doctor rushed over to him beaming from ear to ear, "Fantastic."

"Good old Dad," Stuart murmured a little sadly, but his smiled fondly in remembrance of the man as he handed the phone over, "There you go."

"Just need to do a bit of charging up…" he muttered to himself as he pressed his sonic screwdriver to the battery, "And then we can bring everyone back," he lifted his gaze looking around the church as he slotted the key into place, allowing it to charge as the door shook precariously now as the Reapers continued to assault the old building... searching for a weakness to exploit. He turned his gaze back down to the key and battery in his hands, his sonic screwdriver whirring busily as he worked.

 ***O*O*O***

Pete took a seat in the pew behind Rose at the back of the church, "You um…" he trailed as his glum grown daughter turned her gaze to him, "You never said why you came here in the first place," he smiled a bit, "If I had a time machine, I wouldn't have thought 1987 was anything special. Not round here, anyway."

Rose shrugged as nonchalantly as she could manage, "We just ended up here."

"Lucky for me, eh? If you hadn't been there to save me…"

"That was just a coincidence," Rose cut in, speaking quickly, "That was just…" she swallowed heavily looking down at her lap, "Really good luck. It's amazing…"

Pete paused staring at his daughter, unable to really believe her as he took in her expression, "So," he spoke after a moment of silence had passed, "In the future, are me and her indoors still together?"

Rose looked at him, "Yeah."

"Are you still living with us?"

Rose nodded, "Yep! Me and… me and Poppy," she looked away again, her gaze going to the Doctor as he continued to work… hoping that he really could bring everyone back like he said he could.

Pete nodded and smiled. He stared at her intensely for a moment, working up the courage to ask the question that had been playing on his mind since he'd realised this Rose was his Rose all grown up, "Am I a good dad?"

"You…" Rose trailed, her throat tightening around the truth unable to bring herself to say it, "You told us a bedtime story every night when we were small. You were always there… you never missed one," she smiled, looking for all the world like she was reminiscing on happier times, "And um… you took us for picnics in the country every Saturday. You never let us down. You were there for us all the time. Someone we could really rely on."

Pete regarded her quietly as Rose fell silent, "That's not me."

The smile slid from Rose's face and she looked away from her, her gaze going back to the front of the church where a faint outline of the Tardis had appeared, the glowing key in her lock.

The grinning Doctor shrugged his jacket back on and ran down the steps to the pulpit, "Right, no-one touches that key. Have you got that? Don't touch it. Anyone touches that key, it'll be, well, zap. Just leave it be and everything will be fine," he assured still beaming with excitement that he could fix it – fix this and get Poppy back, "We'll get out of here. All of us. Stuart, Sarah, you're gonna get married, just like I said," he told them with an encouraging grin, before he turned away, his gaze landing on Rose as she sat with her dad and his smile tightened around the edges.

Rose swallowed heavily as the Time Lord made his way over to her and sat down beside her on the pew. Her gaze went to the Tardis that was fading in and out at the front of the church. She glanced at the Doctor, teeth chewing her lower lip nervously before she broke the stilted silence between them, "When time gets sorted out…" she trailed.

"Those that got sterilized will come back and everybody here forgets what happened," the Doctor replied, "But we'll be done," he said firmly and Rose's gaze flew to him, her eyes wide, "I'll be taking you home and you can stay there," he expounded so that there could be no misinterpretation, before he shot her a look that clearly said he knew exactly what she'd been wanting to ask, "And don't worry, the thing that you changed will stay changed."

"You mean I'll still be alive," Pete spoke up from behind them, drawing their attention, "Though I'm meant to be dead."

Rose stared at him unable to speak.

Pete nodded the silence all the confirmation he needed, "That's why I haven't done anything with me life. Why I didn't mean anything."

"It doesn't work like that."

"Rubbish," Pete waved the Doctor off, "I'm so useless I couldn't even die properly. Now it's all my fault all of this has happened."

Rose reached over placing a hand on his arm, staring at him with tearful eyes once again, "This is my fault."

Pete shook his head at her, "No, love. I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault."

Jackie who'd been giving her husband and the blond he was with the stink eye and had finally made up her mind to come over, gave him a shocked, disgusted and hurt look, anger bubbling into a boil, "Her dad? How are you her dad? How old were you, twelve?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and stood, distancing himself from the domestics that were taking place between the Tyler's.

"Oh," Jackie eyed her husband with disdain, "That's disgusting."

Pete stood, "Jacks, listen," he gestured to the blond sitting in the pew staring at them upset, "This is Rose."

"Rose?" Jackie hissed angry and upset, clutching her twins that she was carrying one in each arm closer to her, "How sick is that? You give one my daughters a second hand name? What about Poppy? Do you have a slew of daughters with her name too? How many are there? Do you alternate between the two?"

"Oh, for God's sake, look!" Pete exclaimed, "It's the same Rose!" he reached towards her and plucked baby Rose from her grip and turned giving her to Rose.

The Doctor who'd cast an eye towards them started, his eyes widening with alarm as he saw Rose holding her hands up to accept the baby, "Rose!" he shouted racing towards them, "No!" he snatched baby Rose from the 19 year old's arms and gave her back to the upset Jackie, but he was too late as a bone chilling screech came from inside the church as one of the Reapers materialized inside the building, powered by the paradox.

"Everyone! Behind me!" he shouted and the guests immediately scrambled to get behind him. He stared resolutely up at the Reaper as it spread it wings threateningly at them, his arms extended to keep the guests behind him, "I'm the oldest thing in here."

"Doctor!" Rose screamed terrified as the Reaper swooped down and consumed the Doctor with a flap of its wings. She watched it as it swooped around the ceiling, her expression horrified as it did a final pass, before colliding with the still only semitransparent Tardis, the Reaper and Tardis disappearing back through the wound and out of the universe. The key that was no long glowing falling to the floor lifelessly.

Rose ran over to it and picked it up, "It's cold," she murmured, "The key's cold," she swallowed heavily as Pete approached her from behind glancing nervously about the church the whole time, "Oh my God, he's dead… they're both dead…" her shoulders shook with suppressed tears the gravity of it hitting her all over again; hope lost once again, she felt her dad's fingers brush her shoulder as he reached out to her. She shook him off, "This is my fault… both of you… all of you…" her voice cracked and Pete pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly in an effort to console her, "The whole world…"

Jackie held her baby girls closer to her as the light in the church dimmed as if an ominous cloud had suddenly passed over the sun. whilst the remaining guests and the bride and groom to be looked around scared.

"This is it," Bev whimpered, "There's nothing we can do. It's the end," she cried as they heard the sound of scraping as one of the Reapers attached itself to the side of the church and started scraping at the stone with its wing.

 ***O*O*O***

Pete stared out the window in the anteroom, his gaze landing on the beige car that had almost run him over as it appeared out of nowhere, tyres screeching as it rounded the corner, the driver throwing a hand up, before disappearing. Only to reappear, the circuit repeating over and over… he frowned as a realisation came over him. His hands trembled and his breathing came heavier as fear churned.

His eyes on the car is it rounded the corner with a screech of tyres once again…

 ***O*O*O***

Rose sat on her own in the dark church, shoulders slumped in grief as Pete walked towards her, carrying his jacket over his shoulder, "The Doctor really cared about you and Poppy…" he spoke and Rose looked up.

She eyed him with confusion, her expression pained, "Poppy, maybe… don't think he cared much about me in the end," she swallowed the back of her eyes pricking hotly – feeling so very alone, "I think he died hating me."

"Nonsense," Pete refuted and Rose looked away, "He didn't want you to go through it again, not if there was another way. Now there isn't."

Her gaze shot to him again as she stood, "What are you talking about?"

Pete turned pulled on his jacket, "That car should've killed me, love."

Rose shook her head, body trembling as she stared heartbrokenly at her dad, "But you…" she cried, her voice cracking.

Pete reached over and stroked her face, eyes full of the love he felt for her, his little girl all grown up, "Who am I, love?"

"My daddy," she cried.

Jackie walked over staring from one to the other with wide eyes as the pieces started to come together for her as she took in the heartbreak on the young woman's face.

Pete turned to her, "Jackie… look at her. She's ours."

Jackie's lower lip wobbled as Pete's words finally made it hammer home… the familiar features a mix of her and Pete… "Oh, God…" she cried and threw her arms around her daughter… she didn't really understand how, but… it was the least craziest thing about this day.

"I'm meant to be dead, Jackie," Pete told her when she pulled back, "You're gonna get rid of me at last."

Jackie stared at him holding back tears now, "Don't say that," she begged.

"For once in your life, trust me. It's got to be done," Pete told her gently, "You've got to survive, because you've got to bring up our daughters," he pulled his wife in for a last lingering kiss, before he released her and turned back to the tearful Rose, "I never read you those bedtime stories. I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you," he said apologetically.

"You would've been," Rose cried, her heartbreaking all over again as her tears spilled over her cheeks.

"But I can do this for you and for Poppy," Pete stared at her soaking in the sight of one of his babies grown, wishing he'd been able to get more than a brief glimpse of Poppy, "I can be a proper dad to you now."

"But it's not fair," Rose cried a little harder.

"I've had all these extra hours. No-one else in the world has ever had that. And on top of that… I get to see you," he lifted a hand to her face cupping her cheek gently, "And you're beautiful," Rose held his hand against her cheek a moment longer before letting him pull away.

"How lucky am I, eh? So, come one… do as your dad says," he urged gently.

Tears still falling silently down her cheeks Rose turned woodenly and picked up the vase and without looking at him she handed it to him.

"Are you going to be there for me, love?" Pete asked and Rose looked up at him and nodded. Pete nodded and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he took one last look at her, trying to memorize what his little Rose looked like as a young woman. He smiled at her, "Thanks for saving me."

Rose screwed her eyes shut as her daddy pulled her into a hug along with her mother, her arms squeezing around him tightly… not wanting to let go… but all too soon he was pulling away and she was forced to watch as he started for the doors of the church…

Rose followed on shaky legs, stopping by the open church doors, her gaze locked on her dad as he ran out onto the road, his gaze going to the sky for a single moment before he turned to face the on coming car. She gasped, flinching as the car hit, the vase crashing as it hit the road. Her limbs trembled.

The Doctor stepped up beside Rose as she stood just outside the church doors, "Go to him. Quick," he urged her as he stared at Pete Tyler's fallen form sadly. He took a shaky breath as he watched Rose dash towards her father's fallen body, time slowly slotting back into place around them. He caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eye and he turned his head, his gaze locking on Poppy as she appeared on the pavement where she'd been taken. She blinked as she glanced around the street. Her body freezing as she caught sight of Rose beside her dad as he lay on the ground where the car had hit him.

The Doctor ran down the steps of the church and over to her, coming to a stop beside her.

Poppy swallowed heavily, her hands trembling at her sides as tears welled in her eyes, obscuring her vision, "Is he…?"

"I'm sorry," the Doctor murmured heavily.

Poppy took a shaky breath, her tears spilling down her cheeks. She leaned into the Doctor's embrace as he threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

 ***O*O*O***

"The driver was just a kid," Jackie told her little girls, "He stopped waited for the police. It wasn't his fault. For some reason, Pete just ran out," she ran her fingers over the picture in the album she was looking at, "People say there was this girl, and she sat with Pete while he was dying. She held his hand. Then she was gone. Never found out who she was…"

 ***O*O*O***

"Right, there we are then," the Doctor remarked as the Tardis materialised outside of the Powell Estate a few moments after the three had returned to the ship.

Rose nodded resignedly, "I'll just go get my bag…" she trailed and jumped in surprise as her packed duffel bag fell from the ceiling of the console to land with a thud at her feet.

Poppy frowned in confusion, looking from the Time Lord to her twin, "Your bag? Why would you need your bag?"

"Because she's going home and staying there as far as I'm concerned," the Doctor replied when Rose remained miserably silent. His gaze going to Poppy who was staring at him with wide eyes full of surprise and upset at the revelation. He looked back down at the console and fiddled with a few of the switches – waiting for the blond to leave.

Rose glanced from the Doctor to her twin that was slowly starting to bristle as the Time Lord's words sank in. Her lower lip wobbled her already aching heart from the day's events, breaking all over again. She swooped down and grabbed her duffel from the floor and turned and fled out the doors, ignoring the sound of her twin calling for her as she ran across the yard and to the gate slipping inside and starting up the stairs.

Poppy gave chase, bolting out the Tardis doors after her twin, shouting for her.

The Doctor let out a heavy sigh and slumped down in the captain's chair, the sinking feeling that he'd just lost Poppy as a companion hitting him. But he didn't move to pilot the Tardis away, clinging to the lingering hope that the ginger would come back through those doors and want to stay…

 ***O*O*O***

"What's going on?!" Jackie demanded as Poppy slammed through her front door a mere moment after Rose, but got no answer as the ginger raced through the entryway and into the corridor, hearing Rose's bedroom door slam.

"Ro-Ro!" Poppy called when she met resistance – her twin leaning against the door keeping it closed, "Let me in – please!"

Rose shook her head, leaning heavily against her door, "Just go Pop!" she shouted, injecting anger into her wobbly voice as her heart continued to break, wanting nothing more than to open the door, but she couldn't. Couldn't do that to her twin.

"Ro! Don't be stupid! Let me in!" Poppy thumped her weight against the door.

"Just quit it!" Rose shouted, a sob tearing from her throat as tears rolled freely down her cheeks, "And go away!"

Poppy splayed a hand over the closed door staring at it with hurt and confusion, for the first time not understanding what was going on with her twin, "Ro-Ro, talk to me," she pleaded through the door, "Please!"

Rose shook her head again, "Just go Poppy! You know you want to! Go!" she shouted, "Go! Go! Go!" she screamed her voice rising with each shouted word, "I don't want you here!" the blond lied through her teeth.

Poppy stared at the door, brown eyes hurt, "I love you, Ro…" she murmured to the door and Rose bit onto her fist to stifle the broken sob that tore from her. Keeping the responding words from escaping past her lips.

Poppy slowly turned from the door and started back down the corridor, her eyes landing on her mum who was stood at the end of it, staring with concern. Poppy shook her head at her mum, brow creased in turmoil.

Jackie pulled her into a tight hug and Poppy returned it just as tightly, brown eyes troubled and confused at her twin's reaction. Not understanding in that moment why her twin didn't want to talk to her.

 ***O*O*O***

The Doctor looked up, hope blooming and lighting up his face as the Tardis door opened. It was a hope that plummeted at the miserable look on Poppy's face as she stepped into the Tardis. Her eyes shiny from tears, traces of them welling in her eyes.

Poppy swallowed her gaze lifting to the Time Lord, she swallowed again, her voice feeling lost to her as the lump in her throat seemed to strangle her vocal cords, "She…" she trailed off at how weak her voice sound, "She wouldn't talk to me…" she half mumbled, voice raw with emotion.

"Poppy…" the Doctor began, voice cautious, but trailed off as the ginger didn't acknowledge him, but instead started for the stairs going up them without a backwards glance. He stared after her for a long moment hearts heavy at the obvious pain she was in.

The Tardis door that Poppy had left open behind her closed and the Time Lord slowly turned back to the console and moved his hands over the controls, sending the ship back into the vortex.

 ***O*O*O***

Rose clung to her mum, tears streaming down her face, "I did the right thing," she mumbled half trying to reassure herself and explain to her concerned and unimpressed mum, "She would have stayed for me," she sobbed, "She would have and – and she wouldn't have been happy! I couldn't do that to her, not when it was my fault…"

"Oh sweetheart," Jackie sighed as she hugged Rose to her tighter, "I can't say I approve of your behaviour… but I s'pose you're right…" she sighed and rubbed comfortingly at her daughter's arms and back, "But, what I don't understand is… what's your fault?" she pulled back slightly to look at her daughter, "What did you do, sweetheart?"

Rose shook her head and buried herself tighter in her mum's embrace, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.

Jackie let out a small 'tut' of concern as she realised another secret was being kept from her… her eyes narrowed, but one thing she was certain of. It was all that damn Doctor's fault that her babies where both miserable even if one was still off with him God knows where in that strange bigger on the inside old ship of his.


	9. Chapter 9 Not Just a London Hopper

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just my o/c Poppy.

 **A/N:** Big thank you's go to everyone who read, followed/favourited and reviewed the previous chapter. And another big thank you goes to **Maethoriel Artemis** for reading over this chapter for me and giving me feedback on it.

 **CHAPTER 9**

 **Not Just a London Hopper**

Poppy shifted under the warmth of her bed covers as a loud rapping of knuckles against the solid wood of her bedroom door disturbed the light sleep, she'd fallen into. She turned onto her side and curled up tighter against the noise; fully intending to ignore it. She groaned and yanked her pillow out from under her head and hid her head under it, holding it there in an attempt to drown out the noise as the knock came again.

"Up and at 'em, Poppy!" the Doctor's jovial voice came from behind the closed door as he rapt his knuckles against the door again and the ginger groaned again holding the pillow harder against the side of her head. Another persistent knock as if he wanted to be sure she couldn't ignore him, "Meet me in the console room!"

Poppy sighed and threw the pillow away from her where it landed at the foot of her bed. She threw the covers off herself and got up, "Doctor," she began as she padded over to the door, ginger hair mussed from tossing and turning, "Doctor," she repeated, "I'm really not in the mood for…" she trailed as she opened her bedroom door to find the Time Lord gone. She blinked and then frowned as she poked her head out the door glancing up and down to see not a sign of him.

Poppy sighed again as she closed the door to her bedroom again. Her gaze went to her bed and she toyed with the idea of just slipping back beneath the covers and trying to find sleep again, "I suppose he'll just come back again…" she muttered as she turned and headed into her private bathroom. She grimaced a little at the state of her face as her gaze landed on the bathroom mirror – she was pale and her massacre had smudged with the tears she'd shed. Her heart still felt rather heavy in her chest – she wasn't used to her twin not talking to her. They'd never not talked before – it wasn't something they did.

They'd never even given each other the silent treatment as children.

Poppy threw her hair up into a rough ponytail to keep out of the way, before she turned on the sink's faucet. Even so, she knew her twin better than anyone, and after she'd managed to calm down, a lot, from the majority of the hurt and shock. She thought that she understood, at least for the most part, the reasoning behind what Rose had done and she loved her for it even as it continued to hurt.

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy, her face freshly washed and hair hanging down past her shoulders, the ginger wandered down the corridor. The stairs that led down into the console room, "Doctor?" she called as she reached the top of them. She started down them, casting her gaze about the console room, her eyes landing on him as he moved about the console.

He looked up at her call and grinned as he caught sight of her coming down the stairs, "Ah, there you are! Bout time you got up," he cast his gaze over her, "You might want to grab a jacket. A thick one would be best – it's cold where we're going."

"A jacket?" Poppy eyed him, "Doctor, I'm still in my pyjamas!" she gestured to the light pink flannels she hadn't changed out of.

"Go get changed then if it bothers you," he replied easily and gestured towards the stairs she just come down, before he paused with a hand over a lever and gave her a mildly quizzical look, "Why did you come down in your pyjamas?"

"Cos I'm going back to bed," she stated.

"Back to bed? You went to bed almost 12 hours ago!" the Doctor exclaimed, "How much more sleep could you possibly need?"

Poppy crossed her arms over her chest with a slight grimace over how long she'd spent awake and crying, hurting, and a large part of her just wanted to hide away and mope for at least a bit longer, "I didn't get much sleep," she muttered, "And I'm tired."

The Time Lord eyed her for a long moment as Poppy stood, shifting slightly on her feet, but not making a move to leave. He yanked down the lever and the rotor started rising and falling as the engines rumbled to life.

Poppy reached out a steadying hand as the Tardis shook as she flew, "Doctor, weren't you listening! I'm going back to bed!"

He shot her a look, "No," he grinned at her, rather infuriatingly in Poppy's irritated opinion, "You're not."

"Yes, I am!" she refuted, bristling with annoyance as the light shaking or the Tardis's brief flight stopped and the Doctor grabbed his leather jacket off a 'Y' beam and shrugged it on, heading out the door like he hadn't heard her at all.

Poppy crossed her arms as she watched the Doctor open the door and step outside, leaving the door wide open behind him – tempting her to follow him out and see just where he'd taken them. She eyed the open door. Hesitating, torn between her desire to wallow in her pain a bit longer and her curiosity…

Her lips pursed and she shifted her feet again, before she let her head fall back in exasperation – because he was right, she was so not going back to bed! Before she grinned and hurried back up the stairs; racing for the wardrobe. A couple of moments later she practically jumped down the stairs to land in the console room clad in a thick jacket, before she was racing across the space and out the open door and into the night.

"Blimey!" she exclaimed as she came up to the Doctor who'd stopped a short distance away, waiting for her, "You weren't wrong about the cold," she stated, arms wrapped about her waist as he grinned at her rather smugly. She glanced around, before looking back at the Doctor, "Where are we?"

"Don't recognise it?" he asked and she shook her head, even as she blinked glancing around – should she? "Give us a tick – it's probably where we landed. Got it a touch wrong," he admitted as he started walking Poppy falling into step with him, "Little too far to the left."

Poppy eyed him, brows quirked upwards, "You sure you didn't just get the flight wrong?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" the Doctor exclaimed, before eyeing her as she'd eyed him, "Just what are you implying?"

"That your driving skills are in need of w…" Poppy trailed as they came around the large hill that had been blocking the view and her mouth fell open, her gaze riveted on the sky.

He grinned, rather smugly at her awed reaction, "You were saying?"

"It's gorgeous!" she breathed with awe her gaze still locked on the sky, or rather the Northern Lights roving across them.

"They are a sight," he agreed taking in Poppy's awed expression a moment longer before turning his eyes back up to the sky.

Silence reigned between them for a long moment as the two stared up at the lights, "Did you know?" Poppy asked not taking her eyes off the sky.

The Doctor glanced at her, "Did I know what?"

"That I wanted to see the Lights," she elaborated, tearing her eyes away from the view long enough to look at him.

The Doctor smirked a bit, "Lucky guess."

Poppy eyed him for a moment before smiling as their eyes met briefly. She turned her gaze back up to the sky – lucky guess indeed. She bit her lower lip as she smiled up at the lights, "Just wish I had my camera with me."

"Well, go get it," he told her.

"In a minute," she murmured, unwilling to go inside just yet – not even just for a little while – she wasn't done just looking…

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy and the Doctor walked over to a railing, moving past the tourists that where milling about, the heat of the Australian sun shining down on them. she leaned her arms against the railing, her eyes on the collection of 12 limestone stacks collectively known as 12 apostles. The Doctor having taken the Tardis back to when all 12 were still standing.

After a long moment of just breathing in the sea air and staring at the apostles, watching the water lapping against the stones – water that would eventually, slowly, erode through 5 of the 12 in her present. She pulled her camera out of the small bag she'd taken out of the Tardis with her snapped a picture. She looked down at her camera as she lowered it. It felt a little strange taking a picture without her twin to take a couple others with.

"Ready to head back?" the Doctor asked.

Poppy nodded and smiled at him, "Yeah," she murmured, "If you are?"

The Time Lord nodded and the two turned and strolled back the way they'd come – headed back to where the Doctor had parked the Tardis...

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy eyed the Doctor as they moved away from the painting they'd been admiring and started across the large room of the Louvre Museum, walking past a few other visitors. They'd been to a few places now – practically one after the other, and a suspicion was starting to form, "Did you memorise the map in my bedroom?"

"Dunno what your talking about," the Doctor replied casually.

"So, it's just a coincidence," she muttered a little dubiously as she eyed the Time Lord out of the corner of her eye, "That we suddenly seem to be visiting places I've got pinned on my map?"

He shrugged lightly and grinned as he shot Poppy a brief look, "Must be," Poppy quirked her brows at him with disbelief and he nodded to a doorway, "Ooh, let's look through here, shall we?" he asked, already starting for it.

Poppy eyed him, not in the least bit convinced – but was then distracted as they stepped into the new room…

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy stared eyes wide with awe as she stared out the door of the Tardis that was hovering above the planet.

"It's called 'Woman Wept'," the Doctor told her as he stood beside her, staring down at the planet himself, "Because of the huge continent there you see," he pointed.

Poppy nodded, "It looks like a woman weeping," she murmured, "Well – if you squint a little," she added.

The Doctor turned his gaze from the planet to look at her, "Did you want to go down?"

Poppy turned her gaze to him, "Is that a trick question?" she grinned at him and the Doctor closed the doors and all but ran over to the console. Poppy following him without hesitation eyes alight with excitement…

 ***O*O*O***

Poppy gaped with awe as she stared at the at least hundred-foot-high waves frozen to ice, along with the foam that had been coming off them, the waves carrying on as far as the eye could see – the whole thing looked as if it had been frozen mid a thunderous storm. She swallowed as tore her gaze from the sight to glance at the Doctor, "How?"

"Well…" the Doctor began launching into an explanation as they walked under the massive waves, no other life but them on the massive frozen beach.

Poppy listening intently trying to understand the how, even as most of the explanation went over her head.

A while later the two were still strolling under the waves the night deepening around them – the light of the moon above them glinting off the frozen waves giving them a beautiful ethereal glow, that Poppy found hard to look away from.

"I know what you're doing, you know," she murmured after another moment, managing to tear her eyes from the waves to look at him.

The Time Lord tugged at his ear, "I didn't realise I was doing anything."

Poppy nudged him gently with her elbow, "You're trying to cheer me up," she stated and he tugged at his ear again as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She smiled at him and slipped her hand around his arm, "Thank you – you didn't need to."

"So," the Doctor eyed her with concern, "You're alright then?"

"Yeah!" Poppy nodded and grinned, "Nothing like sightseeing and crossing a few places off my 'to visit' list to cheer a girl up! And – Rose and I. I know we'll be fine," she stated with certainty and smiled again.

"I'm sure you will be," the Doctor nodded with a grin, the Time Lord glad that he'd managed to cheer the ginger up over the day they spent hopping back and forth around the Earth for the most part completely worth it. The two strolling along the frozen beach, Poppy's hand still lightly slipped around his arm as the night deepened to midnight.


End file.
